Circus GX
by Coral the Leviathan
Summary: Starts from between episode 4 and 5, after the field duel and before the fake shadow duel. A new student who was a performer was transferred into Duel Academia. Join Fiore Kohaku as he, along with Judai and the gang, protect the seven gate keys from Seven Star Assassins. It's time for the Grand Finale!
1. New Student with New Deck

**Coral: Before you all judge me, I know what I said about wanting to do one story at a time, but I had this imagination in my head for quite a while now and I just want it to be published! So do not judge me for being so selfish!**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 _ ***LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V***_

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is english sub after all)

* * *

It was a nice and normal day at Duel Academy. Many students were in class, waiting for their first period teacher to come and teach them things that involves dueling. Usually that would be the case. Today, however, some students were conversing about rumors of a transfer student.

"I heard the transfer is cheery," one said.

"More like dangerous, from what I heard," another said.

"Think it's a boy?" a female asked.

"I heard the transfer did really well on the written part of the exam."

"Some of the teachers said that her dueling style was unique."

"I heard this kid's parents are famous, but I don't know what for."

"What are they talking about?" Yuki Judai asked.

"Apparently, we're going to have a new student here," Marufuji Shou told him.

"Seriously?"

"It's true," came Daichi Misawa's voice. "I heard my headmaster talking to your's about this student."

"Sweet. So then, when is the transfer going to be here?"

"Today," answered Tenjouin Asuka's voice. "I saw a boat eariler on the way here. A boy our age got off with his luggage."

"If he's our age, then he might have the same class as us," Shou said.

"Unless if he's older than he looks," Misawa added.

Just then, their teacher, Professor Chronos, walked in. All the students ceased their talking and faced the front.

"Now then, before we start, we have a new duelist joining us today," he began. "Please come in."

"Yes sir!" came a reply. The door opened, revealing a boy with black hair and amber eyes, wearing an Osiris Red uniform. "Hi! Nice to-!" As he was greeting his fellow classmates, he tripped on something and landed face-flat on the floor. Seeing that caused some students, mainly most of Obelisk, to laugh at him.

"Hey, are you okay?" Shou asked in a concerned tone.

"Heheh. _Don't mind me,_ " he assured in English. "I'm fine. Now, as I was saying, it's nice to meet you everyone. My name's Fiore Kohaku. I'm from America, however I travel a lot with my parents so I know practically every language. It was only recently that my parents allowed me to go to school here. To be truthful, this is actually my first time being in school, so do go easy on me."

Seeing how kind, laid-back and foreign he is threw everyone back. Although he said he's American, his Japanese was perfect and, in the girls' eyes, he's quite cute. And he seems so calm, keeping that smile on his face even after that first impression.

"Yosh. Now that introduction is over, sit over there next to Signore Yuki," Chronos instructed.

" _Okay._ " Was the reply he got as Kohaku suddenly got on the teacher's desk and jumped over to an empty seat next to the chesnut-haired Osiris. Seeing his reflexes had shocked everyone in the room. "What?"

"What the hell were you doing?!" the professor demanded.

"I got to my seat."

"You could've used the stairs!"

"Wouldn't that take too much time? I don't want to feel guilty wasting your lesson."

Chronos was speechless at how strangely kind the new student is. Despite the fact that he wanted to lecture him about doing something so dangerous, he has class to teach and _certain_ students to try to give trouble to.

* * *

 _ ***KOHAKU'S P.O.V***_

It was the end of the school day. For my first day... it was really boring. All the things that the teachers taught today were things that I already knew. Hey, just because I traveled all the time doesn't mean that I never took any kind of classes. Gym, on the other hand, was the one class that I enjoyed. My body would've fallen asleep if it wasn't for that class. Besides that, for a school that teaches dueling, there are no duels going on. That just brought my expectations for this place down.

That's not the only problem. The other problem was the color code. Apparently, red is the worst, blue is the best, and yellow is in between. Seeing the discrimination that some of the blue students gave me and my fellow red sickened me. I would've shown my disgust, but like my dad always said, "Don't do anything negative. If you think about something bad, think something good. If you want to cry or scream, just laugh it off. Smile is the most important thing in the world." Not once has my smile faltered since he said those words to me, not even from the discrimination.

"But even so, I would be a lot more happier if I could have even one duel," I said out loud to myself. I was wandering around the hall, finding a room that holds a lot of duels. I could care less if it was a table duel; I want to duel.

Luckily, I found myself in what seems to be a duel field. Unfortunately, it's vacant. Though that didn't stop me from taking a look around.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing here?!" came a voice from above. I looked up and saw a pair of Obelisks looking down at me.

"Taking a look around. What? Is that against the rule?" I said in a cheery, laid-back tone.

"Yeah. This is Obelisk Area. Red dropouts like you aren't welcome," said the guy with brown spiky hair.

"If this is for Obelisks only, why isn't this place at your dorm?"

"Because only Obelisks who wants to duel with weaker dorms can duel here."

"In that case, duel me. I was looking for a duel since school ended." I was hoping for a yes, despite the fact we're from different dorms.

"Heh. Yeah right. We don't want to duel against someone who trips," said the blue-haired boy with glasses. Seeing how they hold their pride, I knew what I had to do.

"Yeah, you're right. Why would someone of such a high rank want to duel against someone like me and lose horribly?" I taunted.

"What was that?!" they asked.

"Why would someone of such a high rank want to duel against someone like me and lose horribly?!" I repeated, raising my voice.

"Why you..."

"If you want a duel, you got one!" _Hook, line, and sinker_. "You just wait right here while we go and get our duel disks!"

"Sure thing, losers~!" I waved, as they left. Hearing them growl meant that they wouldn't hold back against me. Just what I wanted anyway.

* * *

 ** _*OUTSIDE, GENERAL'S P.O.V*_**

Just outside the arena, Judai and his friends were walking by. They saw Raizou and Taiyou exit the building with an annoyed look on their faces.

"What's with you guys?" Judai dared to ask.

"Well, if it isn't the dropout boy who Manjoume lost to during the field exam," Taiyou said in disgust.

"Don't be rude," Asuka scolded. "Now why are you two running?"

"Getting our duel disks that's why," Raizou answered before looking at Judai, Shou and Hayato. "One of _your_ kind went and thought he was better than us. So, as elites, we decided to take matters into our hands and teach him a lesson. You are welcome to watch and see what happens when you dropouts don't learn your place." With that, they took their leave.

"An Osiris Red besides Judai is dueling an Obelisk Blue?" Misawa summarized in a questioned tone.

"That couldn't be. No other Osiris Red would want to duel against an Obelisk Blue like Aniki," Shou pointed out.

"Unless if they're Judai," Hayato added.

"Maybe. But what if it was the transfer student?" Asuka also pointed out.

It was silent for a moment between this group of friends.

"Why don't we go and watch? I want to know what kind of cards he has!" Judai suggested.

"You're saying that because you want to duel him, don't you Aniki?" Shou guessed.

"That too." Knowing Judai, it was hopeless to talk him out of it, but the others were also interested to see how Kohaku duels.

* * *

 _ ***KOHAKU'S P.O.V***_

I don't know if it was them or someone else, but apparently we now have a small audience, mostly male Obelisk Blues. This just make things even better for me in a way.

"Hope you're ready, dropout," the spiky haired guy, who I learned was Raizou, said.

"Yeah, we don't want you to cry after this," the blue-haired guy, who is Taiyou, added.

"Trust me, I won't," I said happily. And it seems that seeing my unfazed face just irritates them even more.

"DUEL!" we shouted, drawing your starting hand.

 **Taiyou: 4000 LP**  
 **Raizou: 4000 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 4000 LP**

"I'll start first!" Taiyou drew his sixth card. "I summon Armored Warrior Zombie!" A zombie in brown samurai armor appeared.

 **Armored Warrior Zombie: DARK/Level 3/Zombie/1500 ATK/0 DEF**

"Then I equip Armored Warrior Zombie with Black Pendant." The monster then had on what looks like a necklace.

 **Armored Warrior Zombie: 1500 + 500 = 2000 ATK**

"I set one card face-down and end my turn."

"Then I'm next," I said, as I drew my card. It was here that I did my thing. " _Hola~! Bonjour~! Hello everybody~!_ It is now time to witness Fiore Kohaku's Dueling Style! First off, I activate my Field Magic, Circus Show!" I placed my magic card in the Field Spell card zone. At that point, the whole arena became a circus. I quickly climbed up the ladder of a pole near me. Once I got to the top, I leaped up, much to the audiences shock. "Next, I will activate my Instant Magic, Early Performance! This lets me Special Summon a Level 4 or lower 'Circus Freak' monster from my hand or deck. From my deck, I Special Summon Circus Freak Swinger!" As if on cue, swings suddenly appeared with a little girl wearing a clown's outfit hanging on it.

 **Circus Freak Swinger: DARK/Level 3/Spellcastor/500 ATK/500 DEF**

My summoned monster then grabbed hold of me.

"And now, witness Circus Show's effect! Everytime a 'Circus Freak' monster is summoned, it gains a Circus Counter!" Just then a balloon ball appeared, which happens to be a counter. "Also, for each counter, it gives my opponent's monsters a little make-up~!"

"Make-up?" Taiyou repeated in a questioned tone.

"Hey Taiyou! Your monster!" Raizou warned. A Make-up kit magically floated over to the monster. It put some white powder on its face, making it look like a clown's, much to their shock. Everyone else giggled, mainly the Osiris.

 **Armored Warrior Zombie: 2000 - 200 = 1800 ATK**

"Of course, where there are swings, there are trapeze artists~!" Swinger threw me high into the air. "I summon Circus Freak Trapeze Artist!" A guy in tights came down and grabbed onto Swinger's hands.

 **Circus Freak Trapeze Artist: DARK/Level 4/Spellcastor/1400 ATK/1000 DEF**

Our performance got our audience excited. I landed on the swings. "And with another 'Circus Freak' monster summoned, your zombie gets more make-over!" Now a clown's hat was on it as another balloon ball appeared.

 **Armored Warrior Zombie: 1800 - 100 = 1600 ATK**

"I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

"My turn. Draw!" Raizou drew his next card. "I summon Bowganian!" A green eyeball-like monster with arms and a bow of some kind appeared next to the zombie.

 **Bowganian: DARK/Level 3/Machine/1300 ATK/1000 DEF**

However, like its companion, Bowganian also fell victim to Circus Show's effect and became a clown's head, the rubber nose blocking its pupil, and wearing a clown's hat.

 **Bowganian: 1300 - 400 = 900 ATK**

"Battle! Bowganian attacks Swinger!" Raizou ordered. His monster shot out a fire arrow at my swinging monster.

"Reverse card open! Grand Escape!" I countered, activating my face-down. Swinger tossed Trapeze Artist into the air. She then got on her swing and grabbed hold of me, leaping off it to evade the attack.

"What?!"

"Great Escape is a Reverse Trap that activates when a 'Circus Freak' monster I control is targeted for an attack. It allows me to negate that attack and end the Battle Phase. Also, for every monster on my opponent's side that didn't declare an attack this turn, I draw a card. You have two monsters on your field. I negated one attack. So I draw one card." Just as I draw my new card, Swinger summoned another swing and landed on it. Trapeze Artist came and grabbed hold of it.

"Nice one!" "That was amazing!" I heard from my fellow Reds.

"I set three cards. Turn end," Raizou ended.

"Then it's my turn. Draw!" My smile got bigger at the sight of my new card. My ace card. "Now then, _everybody_. This show's _main star_ will now make his appearance. _It's time for the Grand Finale!_ " I declared, jumping off the swings. "I release Circus Freak Swinger and Circus Freak Trapeze Artist to Advance Summon, my ace card, Circus Freak Time Space Magician!" Swinger and Trapeze Artist both left the field. In their place is a guy in a magician's outfit with a cane and mask.

 **Circus Freak Time Space Magician: DARK/Level 7/Spellcastor/2500 ATK/2000 DEF**

Just as I was about to fall face-flat, my magician used his powers and lessened my fall, allowing me to land on my feet. The audience applauded at this act. " _Thank you!_ "

"Heh. I figured you would summon out a strong monster," Raizou laughed. "Trap card open! Pitfall of the Hades! This card destroys a monster with 1500 or more ATK and banishes it!" A hole appeared below my ace, who fell in. "How's that? You're monster is now gone."

"Hmm... I wonder about that~" I playfully asked. This brought confusion to everyone's faces, until they saw Time Space Magician float out of the hole, his staff replaced with an opened up umbrella.

"Hah?!" my opponents gasped.

"Time Space Magician's effect prevents all Spell and Trap cards that targets or destroys 'Circus Freak' monsters from activating." My ace landed next to me, his umbrella changing back into his staff.

"Then that means Pitfall of the Hades had no effect on him," a member of the audience summarized.

" _That's right._ And let's not forget Circus Show's effect. Since a Circus Freak monster was summoned, it gains another counter." A third balloon ball appeared and both monsters now wear clown suits. Seeing such... fearsome monsters become like this caused the small group of people watching to burst into laughter or chuckle and the two Obelisks to fume in anger.

 **Armored Warrior Zombie: 1600 - 200 = 1400 ATK**

 **Bowganian: 900 - 200 = 700 ATK**

"Now I activate the Continuous Trap, Redo. This card allows me to Special Summon a 'Circus Freak' monster back in Defense Position. _Time for Act 2,_ Circus Freak Swinger!" The little girl came back with her swing. This added another balloon and replaced the monster's weapons with a balloon or a squirt gun. Of course, it also brought more laughs.

 **Armored Warrior Zombie: 1400 - 200 = 1200 ATK**

 **Bowganian: 700 - 200 = 500 ATK**

"And now, I activate Magic card, Team Performance. I target one 'Circus Freak' monster I control and, for each Circus Counter on the field, I can raise that monster's ATK by 300 and it can make multiple attacks equal to the number of 'Circus Freak' monsters on the field during this card's activation. There are four Circus Counters and two 'Circus Freak' monsters. The target is Time Space Magician."

"Um... Four times 300 plus 2500 is... Uh..."

"3700 ATK," a female Obelisk Blue answered for an Osiris.

"And if it can attack a number of times equal to the number of 'Circus Freak' monsters, it can attack twice," another Osiris said.

"That's correct," I confirmed as my magician gained more power.

 **Circus Freak Time Space Magician: 2500 + 1200 = 3700 ATK**

"But wait, there's more~. I activate Circus Freak Swinger's monster effect. Once per turn, I can equip this card to a 'Circus Freak' monster I control. That monster gains 100 ATK and DEF for each Circus Counter on the field and can attack my opponent directly!"

"EEEHHHHHH?!" my opponents gasped, eyes bulging out. Swinger widened her swing and brought it low to our level, allowing us to get on it with her.

 **Circus Freak Time Space Magician: 3700 + 400 = 4100 ATK**

"Battle! Circus Freak Time Space Magician! Attack the players directly! **Time-Spacial Stream Buster**!" I declared. My ace leaped from his spot and fired two streams of energy at Taiyou and Raizou, ending the duel in one move. Or was that two moves?

 **Taiyou: 0 LP  
Raizou: 0 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 4000 LP**

 **WINNER: KOHAKU!**

As soon as the duel was over, all the reds and yellows cheered and applauded at my victory. The blues on the other hand... I may have gotten myself more duels for today.

"Nice duel!" I heard. I looked to the group of people who were watching the duel. It was then I noticed they were all my classmates.

"Um... Judai, Shou, Asuka, Misawa and... third-year with a koala face... Hayato-sempai right?" I guessed.

"You memorized our names!?" Shou gasped.

"You could say I developed a habit of remembering people and their names. It happens when you travel a lot, especially with the possibility of meeting them again."

"But even so, that was a nice duel!" Judai complimented. "I even got some good laughs from it."

"It's not everyday you get to see monsters like those dress up in something ridiculous," Misawa agreed.

"Not only that, you made Osiris Red seem like a dorm equal to Ra Yellow and Obelisk Blue," Hayato added.

"Although, now I know what some people meant when they said something about dangers involving you," Asuka spoke. "They meant that in your duels, you would do those risky tricks while dueling. And to end it with one move..."

"Well, this is something that my father would say and tell me often. 'As a performer, everyone's smiles are important. When you duel, you duel for fun. Entertainment is the most powerful thing.' I looked up to him and when those words hit me, I decided to extend the limit to dueling. Adding my performer side to any and all duels. It was basically because I extended the limit that my parents decided to disband the circus and work with Pegasus-san to extend the duel for everyone."

"Wait, your family are circus performers?" Misawa asked.

"Yeah. We were pretty famous. You might have heard of us."

"What's it called?" Hayato asked.

"Animer Circus."

"Animer Circus?!" Sounds like they heard of it.

"You mean the circus run by Kigara Kazato?! The world's number one Entertainment Duelist?! That Animer Circus?!" Shou questioned.

"My father was quite famous back before he and mom married," I spoke.

"YOUR FATHER?!" Any louder and my smile will falter and my ears will bleed.

"Yeah. He was the one who convinced Pegasus-san to create the 'Circus Freak' archtype and support cards. And because I added my Entertainment style to a level farther than my father had thought it would go, they are creating a project based on it. Of course not everyone has to do the same thing. It's just, with the new project, they can bring out their dueling skills to a whole new level. Like how you saw my dueling style."

"I hope they complete it soon~! I want to try that kind of dueling style too!" We all sweatdropped at Judai's words.

"You'll probably hurt yourself in many ways on your first try," I warned. The others nodded in agreement.

"So then, let's be great friends, Kohaku." Judai offered a handshake.

"Yeah. I hope we will." I accepted the handshake.

* * *

It was now night time and I was in my room. Unlike all the other Osiris Reds, I don't have roommates in my room. I took off my blazer and shirt revealing a sports bra. Then I removed my pants, revealing my black shorts. I put on my nightwear, which consists of a white tank top and black sport shorts.

' _I knew I forgot something,_ ' I thought in realization. ' _As usual,_ _I forgot to tell them that I'm really a girl._ '


	2. Game of Darkness Part 1

**Coral: For some reason, I am more motivated in doing this story for now.**

 **Aki: I wonder why.**

 **Coral: Well, excuse me Miss Black Rose.**

 **Aki: Do you want me to sick my dragon onto you?**

 **Coral: Have you forgotten that I can beat down one?**

 **Aki: Touche. Anyway, there seems to be some things that you need to make clear to your viewers.**

 **Coral: Yes, I have noticed that as well. To Higuchimon, there is a girl in Osiris Red who moved to Obelisk. You may know her as the girl who uses that Maiden in Love monster card.**

 **Aki: Saotome Rei. A grade schooler who almost defeated Judai with his own monsters.**

 **Coral: Yes. That and Kohaku has a liking to guys' clothes as opposed to girls clothes. That and she likes to have her hair short and in a boyish style. Reason for those will be revealed soon enough. Also, she has an issue of forgetting to mention that she's female, despite having a good enough memory of remembering people's names and faces. And as for the Entertainment Dueling, I admit it is something from Arc V, but you can't just say it is ripped off of Yuuya. There are a couple of other Entertainment Duelists after all, or duelists who uses an entertainment-themed deck.**

 **Aki: Two of them being Hiragi Yuzu and Dennis Macfield.**

 **Coral: Thank you for revealing their identities. Now then, moving along with the story. Oh yes, if any one wants to know Kohaku's cards, they are on my profile. And speaking of which, I am currently accepting OCs for this story, so readers, send me information on your OCs and I will put them in this story. You may request at what point they will make their debut as well. The deck(s) your OC use can be self-created archtype/support archtype cards. Now, without further ado, ENJOY~!**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 _ ***LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V***_

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

 _ ***GENERAL'S P.O.V***_

It had been a couple of days since Kohaku was transferred to Duel Academia. During that time, she made friends with Judai and the others. Not only that, she had also been getting herself in many duels lately, mostly from Obelisks. Apparently, her easy win against two of their kind pissed them off bad enough to have them gang up on her. Thankfully, due to her dueling style, she easily creamed her opponents, all while gathering a crowd to, unintentionally, witness the Obelisks great loss. Not only has this made the Blues angrier, her fellow Reds were gaining more than enough confidence in themselves, allowing them to win in their own duels against an Obelisk or two. In return, the highest school rankers were mad enough to have the island's volcano explode. Thankfully, it never happened.

It was now night time. Kohaku was with Judai, Shou and Hayato in their dorm's cafeteria, telling ghost stories based on the level of the monster card they draw.

"On a cliff on the north path of this island, there's a cave," Shou began his scary story.

"Yeah, go on," Judai whispered.

"Deep in the cave is a small inlet. When night falls, moonlight will shine in from the ceiling. Then, when you look in at the bottom of the inlet, a card you want shows up in the bottom of the water. And they say when you reach for it... you'll suddenly get yourself pulled into the ocean!"

"I wanna go see the inlet~" Judai said, forgetting it was suppose to be a scary story.

"Aniki, aren't you mixed up?" Shou asked.

"That was suppose to be a scary story," Kohaku reminded. "Though it seemed only one of us was scared." She pointed out to Hayato, who was at a corner, trembling.

"Well, I guess that's the best a level-4 story can offer," the chestnut-haired boy shrugged off.

"Well, it's my turn." Kohaku drew a level 6 card.

"Level 6 monster..." Hayato said with a grin.

"An entertaining performer such as yourself might have a hard time with that," Shou also grinned, both challenging the former performer.

Their challenge changed her smile into an evil smirk. "Is that a challenge? Well then..." She pulled the candle close to her, causing a shadow to form from her bangs, covering her eyes and give off an eerie feeling.

"Have you heard...? In Domino City... there's an wrecked abandoned warehouse. They say on the night the full-moon, you'd hear a cry of a young child. The cry is so loud, so painful, you couldn't help but go into the warehouse. And once you go in deep enough, you'd see a little girl, crying at the corner. Seeing such a fragile and sad child in such a scary place, you couldn't help but just reach out to her. And once you touch her... YOU'D GET EATEN ALIVE!" Kohaku shot out of her seat at the last four words, causing Shou and Hayato to hug each other and scream in fear, while Judai just jumped out of his seat in fright. "I'm sorry, and what were you saying about me having a hard time telling scary stories?"

"O-Okay... S-So maybe a performer can tell level-6 scary stories..." the shortest of the group admitted.

"And don't you forget it~. So Judai, it's your turn."

"Right." Judai drew a level-1 monster.

"Killer Snake... Level 1..."

"Tch, a Level-1? Must be nice making up an easy story," Shou said out of jealousy.

"Heheh. Let's see... my Level-1 story... Hmm, come to think of it, back when I was a tyke, when night came around, I would hear my monster's voices. Just like fairies in fairy tales." They scooted closer in deep interest. "I thought the monsters would come out of their cards to have parties and stuff while I was sleeping. When I woke up in the dead of night, I would open my card case."

"... And?" Shou dared to ask.

"Absolutely nothing."

"Oh, come on..." the other two boys slumped at the answer.

"Well, that's a Level-one story. It's not suppose to be scary for our age," the 'Circus Freak' user said.

"But, you know, lately... I'm able to hear them again..." Kohaku was deep in thought at Judai's story.

' _Is he telling a true story? If so then... Can it be that he...?_ '

Judai noticed Kohaku's stare and her faltered smile. "What's wrong?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing at all." The performer regained her composure.

"Ho ho... What are you all doing-nya~?" Daitokuji suddenly spooked in on them.

"You scared us..."

"Please don't scare us like that..."

"Daitokuji-sensei!" Kohaku, Judai and Shou spoke in that order. "Sensei, we're playing a game where you tell a scary story equal to the level of the card you draw," the blue-haired boy explained, as Hayato was back in his corner, more spooked than the other three.

"That sounds like fun-nya~! Now let's see... I'll do it too..." Surprisingly, the teacher drew a level-12 monster.

"T-There it is! A Level-12!" Judai gasped.

" _Unbelievable..._ " Kohaku also gasped, her smile faltering.

"Please give us your best shot!" Shou challenged.

The Osiris headmaster chuckled at his luck. "Come to think of it, are you aware that there is an abandoned dorm deep within this island-nya?" he began.

"Abandoned dorm?" Judai repeated.

"On this island?" Kohaku asked.

"Yes. Apparently, it was a dorm for the academy's honor students long ago, but... every single student in that dorm went missing-nya~"

Shou swallowed a lump in his thought. "Really?"

"I heard they were doing all sorts of research concerning the Games of Darkness in that dorm-nya."

"G-Games of Darkness?" Hayato asked, still hiding in his corner.

"I'm referring to the horrible games that were activated by legendary items-nya."

"The Millennium Items, right?" Judai identified the items. "But it's all just superstition, isn't it?"

The cat-loving professor laughed at the question. "I don't know if it's true either-nya. By the time I came to this academy, that dorm has been made off-limits-nya." Pharaoh, Daitokuji's pet cat, yawned.

"We should probably get some sleep," the yet-to-be revealed female of the group suggested.

"True-nya. Well then, good night." Daitokuji walked away.

"Yes, sir..." the students replied.

"Man, I wonder if there's really a place like that on the island," Shou said.

"Sounds fun. Let's go look tomorrow night," Judai suggested.

"I'm a bit scared, but I'd like to go too," Hayato joined.

"All right! It's settled!"

"Are you sure? Sensei said it's off-limits. Wouldn't we get in trouble?" Kohaku asked in a worried tone, yet still with a smile on her face. (Yes, her smile is practically glued onto her face)

"It's okay. As long as we be careful," the Elemental Hero user convinced.

"Then I guess it is settled."

* * *

 _ ***THE NEXT NIGHT***_

Tomorrow night came. The four Osiris Reds were walking over to the Abandoned Dorm.

"Still, I wasn't expecting that Hayato would show up with us," Judai said. "You even think showing up in class was a hassle."

"It's not that I don't like staying home or studying, it's just..." Hayato defended.

"Just what?"

"I don't like classes that only teaches you how to win duels."

"Is there another way to study dueling besides how to win?" Shou asked.

"Of course," Kohaku answered. "You can't just think about winning in duels; you have to have fun too. You and your opponent."

"There's also that Games of Darkness," Hayato added.

"The Games of Darkness, huh?" Judai repeated.

They got to the Abandoned Dorm. Lying at the front is a red rose.

"That flower!" the 'Elemental Hero' duelist gasped.

"It looks scary..." Shou cowered.

"A small plant like this?" the 'Circus Freak' duelist asked.

"Aniki, maybe we should give up!" the four-eyes Osiris ignored the question.

"What are you talking about? How can we give up after coming this far?!" the challenging duelist questioned.

"Lower your voice, Judai. If you don't want any ghosts to show up," the female Osiris joked.

"G-G-Ghosts?!" Shou and Hayato repeated. As if on cue, a twig snapped. "I-It's here!" they freaked.

Judai and Kohaku both faced the direction of the sound and saw... "Asuka."

"A-Asuka-san!" Shou sighed in relief, as he and the third-year Osiris hid behind Judai.

"Why are you here, Asuka?" Kohaku asked.

"That's my line. What are all of _you_ doing here?" the female Obelisk Blue asked back.

"We're doing a little night exploration," Judai answered.

"None of you know about how many students went missing here?"

"I don't believe in that superstition."

"The stories of this dorm are true. It isn't a place to have fun for. Besides, it's suppose to be off-limits. If the school knows about this, it'll raise some noise."

"We wouldn't be exploring if we were afraid of that."

"Listen to me, _seriously_!"

"What? Stop giving us a hard time. And _you_ never answered our question! What are you doing here?"

"... Do what you want." Asuka began to walk away, realizing it was pointless to reason with the Osiris.

"Asuka-san..." Shou called in a worry-tone.

"My brother was one of the students who disappeared here," she confessed. Her confession surprised them, as Judai looked back at the rose that lay by the entrance.

"Aniki... About what Asuka said... I thought the stuff about this place was made up..." Shou spoke.

"Well, we'll know once we go in. Let's go," Judai told them.

"R-Right," Hayato nodded, until he noticed someone missing from their group. "Judai, Shou."

"What?" they answered his call.

"Where did Kohaku go?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"THE STORIES ABOUT THIS PLACE WERE TRUUUUEEEEE!" Shou screamed at the top of his lungs.

"K-Kohaku! Where are you?!" Judai called.

"You don't think... He went in without us, did he?" the third-year guessed.

"If he did, he should've told us!"

"Let's just go in and find out. Maybe he wanted to get a first look at this place." With that, they walked in the Abandoned Dorm.

As they walked in, Asuka was watching from a distance, praying for their safety. As she began to leave, a mysterious man appeared and took her hostage.

* * *

 _ ***WITH KOHAKU**KOHAKU'S P.O.V***_

While Judai and Asuka were arguing about coming in here, I saw a suspicious person entering the dorm. As if that wasn't weird enough, the Duel Monster Spirit of Circus Freak Time Space Magician appeared by my side and urged me to follow the guy. Yes, I can see Duel Monster spirits like Judai.

"He was here, wasn't he?" I asked one of my Circus Freaks, my smile removed from my face.

"I recall seeing him go through here," Time Space Magician said.

"He couldn't have gotten far. Try tracking him down."

"As you command." The orb on Time Space Magician's staff glowed as he tried to sense the person's whereabouts. Seconds later, we heard a familiar scream.

"That sounds like Asuka!" I gasped.

"And thanks to that, I pinpointed his location. Follow me!" Time Space Magician floated ahead towards the scream, me following him.

We ended up in some kind of cave, the floor covered in mist. On the other side is an unconscious Asuka in a coffin.

"Asuka!" I called.

"This one's soul has already sunk into a thick darkness," came an voice.

"Who's there?!"

A man emerged from the mist. "Welcome, Yuki Judai."

' _He's looking for Judai?_ ' I thought. "Who are you?"

"My name is Titan. A Dark Duelist."

"Dark Duelist? Then you wouldn't happen to be... one of those Duelists who play the Games of Darkness?"

"I am. And you should also know that this is a forbidden domain where none are allowed to step foot. I will deal punishment on those who break that vow."

"Then are you the one who's responsible for all those disappearances? If so, I'm putting a stop to your madness. You will give everyone back!"

"If you can beat me in the Games of Darkness, Yuki Judai."

"Lady Kohaku," Time Space Magician called. "Be careful. There's something quite off about this. Do duel with caution."

"If playing with caution is my thing. You seem to have forgotten who you're talking to," I smiled at my monster.

"And so it may seem." He took his ghostly leave.

"I'll take your challenge!" I took out my duel disk and turned it on.

"You'll regret this, kid."

' _Asuka, hang in there,_ ' I thought.

"Duel!" we both shouted.

 **Titan: 4000 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 4000 LP**

"I'll make the first move," Titan said. "Draw. I summon Inferno-Queen Demon in Attack Mode!" A skeletal monster in purple robe with red armor and black wings appeared on his field.

 **Inferno-Queen Demon: Level 4/FIRE/Fiend/900 ATK/1500 DEF**

"An Archfiend deck, huh?" I observed.

"When this card is on the field, it increases the ATK of a 'Demon' monster by 1000 points." His Demon had her power raised.

 **Inferno-Queen Demon: 900 + 1000 = 1900 ATK**

"And next, Field Magic activate." He inserted a card in his Field Magic Zone, changing the field to one that fits Demons the most. Pandemonium - The Den of Demons.

"I see that you already have something planned for your Demons' costs."

"That's right. This card prevents the cost from my Demon monsters from happening and give monsters with 'Demon' in their names the ability to be reborn when destroyed outside of battle. Now it's your turn. Oh, and if you're that concern for this girl, let me put her out of your sight." The coffin containing Asuka suddenly closed as bone structures from Pandemonium rose and dragged it down.

"Asuka!" "That's low!" "You coward!" came three familiar voices. I turned and saw Judai and the others at the entrance I came in from.

"You guys!"

"What's going on?!" Judai asked.

"Long story short. I have to win this duel if we want to see Asuka again," I explained.

"And if they wish, I'll put them out of sight as well," Titan added.

"You'll do no such thing. My turn. Draw." I drew my sixth card and regained my smile. " _Let's start this show~!_ " I then shouted, bringing confusion to my opponent and smiles to my friends. "From my hand, I summon Circus Freak Spinner in Attack Mode!" A tan man wearing a mask in Indian clothes appeared on my field.

 **Circus Freak Spinner : Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1500 ATK/1400 DEF**

"I activate his summon effect. He gains a Circus Counter for each 'Circus Freak' monster currently on the field. There is only one 'Circus Freak'. So it's only one Counter. Now then, everyone, feast your eyes on Spinner's specialty!" A pole with two ends on fire appeared above my monster. He grabbed hold of the pole and spun it around him, dancing with the stick. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn. And it is here, Spinner will give our guest a heart-warming gift!" My monster spun the stick as fast as possible and threw it over to Titan, dealing damage to him. "For every Circus Counter on him, during my End Phase, he can deal 300 damage to the opposing player."

 **Titan: 3700 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 4000 LP**

"Nice!" "He got the first hit!" "Good one!" My friends cheered for me.

"Then it's my turn now. Draw." Titan drew his next card, not at all fazed by the attack. "I summon Genocide-King Demon in Attack Mode." A skin-less monster with some bone-armor appeared on his field next to his Inferno-Queen.

 **Genocide-King Demon: Level 4/DARK/Fiend/2000 ATK/1500 DEF**

"This card cannot be Normal or Flip Summon unless if I have a 'Demon' monster on my field. With Inferno-Queen Demon, the summon was possible. And furthermore, using Inferno-Queen's effect, I increase Genocide-King's attack by 1000!" The monster seemed to be glowing as its power went up.

 **Genocide-King Demon: 2000 + 1000 = 3000 ATK**

"A monster with 3000 ATK?!" Judai gasped.

"Battle! Genocide-King Demon attacks Spinner!" Titan declared.

"Like I'll let you! Trap Card open! Trick-in-a-Box!" I pressed a button on my duel disk and activated one of my face-downs. "With this card's effect, I can target one monster my opponent controls and one 'Circus Freak' monster I control and switch control over those two monsters!"

"Then that means he will be safe from attacks for the time being!" Judai said.

"Oh is it now?" Titan smirked. "Your petty tricks are nothing to my Demons deck. To chain with your trap card's effect, I activate Genocide-King's monster special ability. Genocide-King's effect is if this card is targeted for a card effect, I roll a die. If the die lands on a 2 or 5, that effect is negated and destroyed. In this case, however, the die will be a roulette." Six balls with numbers 1-6 imprinted onto them appeared as fire surrounds them in a ring. "Now Roulette of Hell, carry out his destiny and turn." The flame died down until it only covered the ball with the 1 print. It then moved around between balls like an actual roulette.

"If the roulette lands on a 2 or a 5, his trap will be destroyed," Hayato said.

"The odds are 1-in-3!" Shou calculated.

The flame eventually stopped at 2. "The roulette stopped at 2. Therefore, Genocide-King's special ability activates. **Bursting! Internal Organs** **!** " His monster sent bats at Spinner, destroying him.

 **Titan: 3700 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 2500 LP**

"Spinner!" I cried out. "Your defeat won't be in vain. Instant Magic activate! Early Performance! This allows me to Special Summon a 'Circus Freak' monster from my hand or deck! _Okay everyone_! Clap your hands with me!" I clapped my hands in a rhythm, followed by Judai and the others. "Now, give a warm welcome to a performer who is the master of manipulating objects! Circus Freak Contact Juggler!" A monkey-like man in a black vest, pants, boots and mask appeared in Spinner's place in Defense mode. My friends, as asked, gave a hand for the new monster.

 **Circus Freak Contact Juggler: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/0 ATK/2000 DEF**

"Alright!" Shou cheered.

"He managed to protect himself from the next attack," Hayato said in relief.

Titan smirked at that. "Is that so?" Something began to glow on him. My eyes widened as I laid my eyes on the one item I would never expect to see. At least, not with someone like him. "Begin to vanish. Your body will slowly disappear with your Life Points."

"Hey!" "You're body-!" "It's fading!" my friends shouted. I looked down and say parts of my body gone.

"I believe I told you, kid. The Game of Darkness has already begun," Titan said. "The enshrouding black fog... The heavy black fog is engulfing you all. Hard to breathe now, isn't it?" The four Osiris couldn't deny that fact, as they were having trouble breathing. "It's the pressure of the Games of Darkness. Your legs will no longer move, so no one will be able to run away from this game."

"He's right. I can't move my legs!" Shou agreed.

"Squirm... Suffer... But the moment when you'll find yourselves longing for suffering is approaching. For what awaits the losers of a Game of Darkness is eternal darkness."

"I don't believe that! You need to have a Millennium item to play a Game of Darkness!" Judai argued.

"He does," I told him. "In his hand, it's the Millennium Puzzle."

"That's right. This proves that this is indeed a Game of Darkness." He held up his item a little higher for my friends to see.

Even though he said all that, I couldn't help but wonder two things. One of them being the current Games of Darkness situation. Of what I heard from my father, it wasn't anything like this. There weren't any fogs or mists involved. The other thing, is the Millennium Puzzle. There are suppose to be only seven different Millennium items. I've seen the Millennium Puzzle before, and Titan is not the real owner of it. Which would mean only one thing. But I need more proof.

"My turn is finished. Now kid, it's your turn."

"In that case, draw!" I drew my next card. "Okay. I summon Circus Freak Puppeteer in Attack Mode!" A live-puppet-like clown appeared on my field.

 **Circus Freak Puppeteer: Level 4/Dark/Spellcaster/1900 ATK/0 DEF/ When this card is summoned, take control of one monster your opponent controls. During your End Phase, Return that monster to your opponent. During their end phase, they must give you the monster targeted by this effect.**

"Puppeteer's special effect activates! When this card is summoned, I can target one monster my opponent controls and take control over it! Do it, Puppeteer! **Puppet Controller!** " My monster threw some strings from its fingertips over at Genocide-King. Just when the strings were inches away, they came to a stop. It didn't take me long to figure out why. "Don't tell me..."

"Once again, Genocide-King Demon's special ability activates. Spin, Roulette of Destiny," Titan confirmed my thoughts, as his roulette began its fire spin.

"The odd of the attack going through is 2-in-3. It has to pass!" Shou said with confidence.

Unfortunately, the fire stopped at 5.

"Once again, the Roulette of Destiny has sided with me," my opponent laughed. "Which means the monster being sent to the other side is your monster, kid. And rather than being on my side, it's going to the Graveyard!" The moment he said that, the strings recoiled back and cut up its own controller.

"No way. Even a monster effect can't go through," the 'Elemental Hero' duelist spoke.

"You have one monster in Defense, wasted a Normal Summon, and I doubt you can do any more special summons. Now then, kid, what will you do now?"


	3. Game of Darkness Part 2

**Coral: Like I said last chapter, for some reason I'm more motivated to do this story.  
**

 **Aki: You are on a roll with this.**

 **Coral: I know. It's actually kind of scary.**

 **Aki: Weren't you like this when you first started out the first season of the SCP series?**

 **Coral: Yes, but I didn't update everyday.**

 **Aki: Still... Okay, you may have a point there.**

 **Coral: Anyway... I don't want to point out names so, to those who don't like my story because they don't approve my OC being in the red and that the whole Entertainment Duel is 'ripped off of Arc-V', how about you do the both of us-**

 **Aki: I don't know if you should say both if there are multiple.**

 **Coral: Anyhoo, do the both of us a favor and not read this story. That could solve both of our problem, don't you think? Besides, from what I recall, _all_ transfer students start off as red. I don't remember anything about female transfers starting off as blue from the get-go. Now, with that out of the way, to the other readers who do enjoy this story so far, ENJOY~! Oh and if you guys are thinking what I think you're thinking at the end of this chapter, yes I do know it was a bit rushed, if not then really rushed.**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 _ ***LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V***_

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

 **Titan: 3700 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 2500 LP**

I kept silent, my bangs shadowing my eyes, hiding them from sight.

"What's wrong? Don't tell me that fear has gotten to you. Well, if you give up, I might let your soul rest peacefully."

"Kohaku..." came Shou's worried voice.

"What's wrong?" Hayato's voice followed.

"Don't give up!" Judai encouraged.

"... No matter how bad the situation is, look at the bright side," I muttered. "If you think of something bad, think of something good. If you want to cry or scream... laugh..." I slowly, but surely, started to laugh, much to the other's confusion.

"What's so funny?" Titan asked.

"Nothing at all. Just regaining my composure. I set two cards face down and end my turn," I finished.

"My turn then. Draw. Genocide-King attacks Contact Juggler! **Bursting! Internal Organs!** " His 3000 ATK monster once again released some bats onto my last defense.

"I activate Contact Juggler's special ability!"

"Fool. You mean to tell me you haven't learned?"

"Oh I've learned plenty. And of what I know, Contact Juggler doesn't target monsters. Instead, when he's targeted for an attack, by sending the top card of my deck to my Graveyard, I can negate that attack!"

"And since it's not a target effect, Genocide-King's effect won't activate!" Hayato added.

" _That's right!_ And after that, a Circus Counter is added onto him. Now then, the card sent to activate the effect is..." I revealed the top card of my deck. "Circus Freak Flame Archer! Contact Juggler, if you can please do what you do best~! **Contact Manipulator!** " A glass ball appeared in my monkey-like monster's hand as he began to manipulate it and redirected the attack away from him. "That's not all. Because Circus Freak Flame Archer was sent to the Graveyard, my opponent loses 1000 points!" An image of a blindfolded magician with a bow and arrow appeared. " _Go!_ **Blaze Arrow!** " He shot the arrow at Titan, making him lose a chunk of Life Points. In the process, some of his own body parts were disappearing.

 **Titan: 2700 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 2500 LP**

"Their Life Points are almost tied!" Shou happily said.

"Nice one!" Judai cheered.

"Tch. You still have something to protect you I see... However, from my hand I activate the Instant Magic, Double Up Chance! With this card if a monster's attack is negated, that monster can attack again, also, it's ATK points doubles!"

 **Genocide-King Demon: 3000 x 2= 6000 ATK**

"Once more, Genocide-King! **Bursting! Internal Organs!** "

"Trap card open! Grand Escape! If an opponent attacks a 'Circus Freak' monster I control, that attack is negated, also I draw a card for every other monster on his field that didn't declare an attack this turn!" I defended, as my monster once again redirected the attack away.

"And since Grand Escape isn't a target card, Genocide-King's effect won't activate again!" Hayato said.

"And Kohaku gets to draw a card!" Shou added.

"Draw!" I drew a new card.

"So you managed to prevent more of your body from disappearing. In turn, you made me lose some of mine."

"That's right. Now it's my turn. Draw!" I drew another card. "I activate Circus Freak Ventriloquism's effect! By discarding this card, I can draw one card from my deck. If the card I draw is a monster card, I can add it to my hand or Special Summon it. However, if the card is a Magic or Trap card, I can activate that card immediately." I place my fingers on my deck, as an image of a performer with a dummy appeared. " _Okay everyone!_ With me! _Come on... Come on... Come on..._ " I chanted, my friends chanting along. " _Come on!_ " I drew my card. " _Okay!_ I activate the Continuous Trap, Another Act! Once per turn, by removing one Circus Counter from the field and one 'Circus Freak' monster from the game from my Graveyard, I am able to use one Spell or Trap card from either player's Graveyard!" The performer's dummy opened its mouth wide as my drawn card appeared face-up onto the field. "I remove Circus Freak Puppeteer from my Graveyard and Circus Freak Contact Juggler's Circus Counter from my field to activate Early Performance from my graveyard! _Everybody~!_ Give a round of applause to the master of swing tricks~! Circus Freak Trapeze Artist~!" My swinging stuntman appeared next to Contact Juggler, as the rest of the Osiris cheered for the former.

 **Circus Freak Trapeze Artist: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1400 ATK/1000 DEF**

"I end my turn."

"My turn. Kid, you are going to experience a new hell. Draw." Titan drew another card. "I release Genocide-King Demon and Inferno-Queen Demon to Advance Summon Evil Emperor of Terror- Genesis Demon!" A gigantic, purple armored demon with a sword just as big appeared in place of the two monsters.

 **Evil Emperor of Terror- Genesis Demon: Level 8/DARK/Fiend/3000 ATK/2000 DEF**

"That looks scary..." Shou said in fear. Hayato grunted in agreement.

"Next, I activate Genesis Demon's effect. I remove from play one 'Demon' monster from my Graveyard and target and destroy one card on the field," my masked opponent continued. "From my Graveyard, I remove Inferno-Queen Demon from play and destroy your pesky monkey! **Terrorist Eraser!** " The huge monster swung its sword down on Contact Juggler, forcing him away. "Next, I will have Genesis Demon attack your last defense! **Terror Blade!** " It once again swung its sword down and killed my last monster on the field.

"I activate Trapeze Artist's special ability! Once destroyed by battle, I can Special Summon from my deck a 'Circus Freak' monster with 1500 ATK or less! _Help me out,_ Circus Freak Dancer!" A male performer in tights appeared on my field in Defense Mode.

 **Circus Freak Dancer: Level 2/DARK/Spellcaster/600 ATK/1200 DEF**

"Persistent, aren't you?"

"I'd be a disgrace as a performer if I let the show end now. Also, the monster summoned by Trapeze Artist's special ability gets a Circus Counter." Dancer now had on red dancing shoes.

"I set one card face-down and end my turn, kid. Unless if you can get rid of my monster, you're as good as dead!"

"I will stop it... Definitely! Draw!" I smiled at the sight of the card I drew. "Time to get rid of this Pandemonium, by activating my Field Magic, Circus Show!" All the bone structures and statues exploded, changing the arena into a circus.

"What?!" Titan gasped at the sight of his field being gone. "However... as long as I have my Millennium item-!" He held up his puzzle.

"Like that thing's real!" I picked up a pebble and threw it, hitting the eye and caused a hole and cracks on it. My friends all gasped at the sight of it, and how my and Titan's bodies were returning to normal. "I knew it. This isn't a Game of Darkness. And you aren't a Dark Duelist either."

"What do you mean?" Judai asked.

"This Game of Darkness is nothing but a fake; an act; an illusion! I've heard of how Games of Darkness are played, and this isn't how it's played."

"What?" my opponent asked.

"If this is a Game of Darkness, we should've been sent to an alternate dimension where our duel wouldn't be interrupted by others. Also, there are suppose to be seven different kinds of Millenium Items. I already saw someone who has the Millennium Puzzle, so there's no way you could've have it because, last I heard, they were all destroyed!"

"... Since my trick won't work on you anymore, Yuki Judai, there's no reason for me to duel you anymore!" He threw a smoke bomb at his feet, trying to escape.

"Stop right there!" I chased after him. After taking several steps after him, something strange happened. The cavern started to shake, and an eye similar to the one on the Millennium Items began to glow on the ground beneath me.

"My lady! Get out of there!" Time Space Magician warned. His warning was late, for wind picked up out of nowhere and gathered dust around me and Titan, engulfing us. The next thing you know, we ended up in nothing but darkness.

"What is this place?!" Titan asked.

"You have nothing to do with this?!" I demanded.

"No, I don't!" Just then, lots of dark creatures appeared and began to cover him. "S-S-S-Stay away! Argh! Help me!"

"Hey!" Before I could take a step closer, some of those monsters made their way towards me, surrounding me.

"Don't take another step closer!" came Time Space Magician's voice. He floated down to my side and put up a light show, scaring them away from me.

"Was this the bad feeling you had earlier?" I asked.

"It would seem so."

"Yuki Judai," Titan called. We looked and noticed something off about him. "How about we continue our duel? This time with the real Game of Darkness."

Despite the bad feeling I'm starting to have about the situation, I'm not one to stop in the middle of a duel for anything. Our monsters and set cards returned as we continued our duel. "We're still at my turn. I activate Circus Freak Assistant's monster effect! If there's another Circus Freak monster on the field, I can Special Summon this card!" An clown appeared next to Dancer, in Defense.

 **Circus Freak Assistant: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1000 ATK/1000 DEF**

"And for each and every empty Monster Zone, I draw one card! There are three on my field and four on your's. That makes a total of seven cards!" I drew more cards. "And furthermore, Assistant can be used as two tributes for Advance Summoning a Level 7 or higher DARK Spellcaster-type monster. _Which means,_ I release Circus Freak Assistant as two tributes! To Advance Summon! Circus Freak Time Space Magician!" My ace card made his appearance.

 **Circus Freak Time Space Magician: Level 7/DARK/Spellcaster/2500 ATK/2000 DEF**

"Even if you have out a new monster, it still means nothing if it can't touch Genesis."

"I know that. That's why I activated Circus Show beforehand! With this card, every time a 'Circus Freak' monster is summoned, it gains its own Circus Counter! And for each Circus Counter on this card, monsters my opponent controls loses 200 ATK! I've summoned twice, which means Circus Show has two Circus Counters and your monster loses 400 ATK!" Two balloons appeared on the field as a make-up kit also appeared and turned Titan's monster's face into a clown's as well as putting a clown's hat on its head.

 **Evil Emperor of Terror- Genesis Demon: 3000 - 400 = 2600 ATK**

"However my monster still has more ATK than your's."

"Not for long! I activate Another Act's effect! By removing Contact Juggler from play and Dancer's Circus Counter, I can activate Early Performance again! Now appear, Circus Freak Stilt Walker!" A short clown on a pair of extremely long stilts appeared on my field.

 **Circus Freak Stilt Walker: Level 2/DARK/Spellcaster/800 ATK/1600 DEF**

"And with this, another counter is gained, and your monster loses more power, as well as getting more make-up!" The big monster was now in a big jumpsuit, making it less scary than it was suppose to be.

 **Evil Emperor of Terror-Genesis Demon: 2600 - 200 = 2400**

"And now that your monster is weaker than mine, I attack Genesis Demon with Time Space Magician! **Time-Spacial Stream Buster!** " My ace shot out a stream of energy at the huge monster, obliterating it.

 **Titan: 2600 LP  
** **Kohaku: 2500 LP**

"Next Stilt Walker will attack you directly! **Batting Stilts!** " My small monster got off its stilts and whacked Titan in the head with them.

 **Titan: 1800 LP  
** **Kohaku: 2500 LP**

"I end my turn! And because I have eight cards in my hand, I discard two cards to keep my hand at six cards."

"My turn then. Draw. From my hand, I activate Reincarnation of the Monster. By discarding one card, I can add a monster back to my hand from my deck. That monster is Genocide-King Demon. Next I activate my Trap card, Demon's Roar! By paying 500 of my Life Points, I can Special Summon back a 'Demon' monster from my Graveyard. Return to your master, Evil Emperor of Terror-Genesis Demon!" The monster returned from the dead.

 **Evil Emperor of Terror- Genesis Demon: 3000 - 600 = 2400 ATK**

"But because of Circus Show's effect, your monster is not as strong as suppose to be," I reminded.

"Is that so? From my hand, I activate General Demon's special ability. By discarding him, I can add one 'Pandemonium' from my deck to my hand," Titan added.

"You have another one?!"

"And now, I activate it, and end your little act." The field once again changed, back to the one the 'Demon' archtype favor most. "And now that your field is gone, my monster's attack is back to normal."

"However, all the counters that were on it goes to another face-up card. In this case... Circus Freak Stilt Walker!" My monster's stilts seemed to have gotten longer by three feet.

 **Evil Emperor of Terror- Genesis Demon: 2400 + 600 = 3000 ATK**

"Next, because I have a 'Demon' monster, I am able to summon out Genocide-King Demon." His level four monster from before also returned. "Battle! Genesis-Demon attacks Time Space Magician! **Terror Blade!** " It swung its sword down at my best card, destroying him.

 **Titan: 1800 LP  
** **Kohaku: 2000 LP**

"Time Space Magician!" I cried out.

"Don't worry. You'll join him soon enough. You and all your other weak monsters. Genocide-King Demon attacks Stilt Walker! **Bursting! Internal Organs!** " His other monster began its move on my other Attack Position monster.

"I activate Stilt Walker's special ability! If this Attack Position monster is targeted for an attack, I can negate that attack by changing his Battle Position! **Stilt Evasion!** " Stilt Walker got off its stilts before the attack hits and got defensive. "Then a Circus Counter is placed on a face-up card on the field. I'll give that counter to Stilt Walker." My monster's stilts had some upgrades, now being made of metal instead of wood.

"Like that would make any difference. Using Genesis' special ability, I remove Demon's Roar from my Graveyard and destroy Stilt Walker! **Terrorist Eraser!** " Making up for the king's attack, the emperor left me with one defensive monster, except it was the one monster. "What?"

"While Stilt Walker has a Circus Counter, he's unaffected by card effects. So he's safe from Terrorist Eraser."

"So it would seem. I end my turn. And during the End Phase, a monster who is Special Summoned by Demon's Roar is destroyed. Next turn, kid, will be your last."

"Then it's my turn..." I said with some hesitation. Never, in my life, had Time Space Magician been defeated before. He was always there for me. And now...

' _No. I can't think that,_ ' I thought to myself. ' _If you think of something bad, think of something good. If you want to cry or scream, laugh. Good things comes to people who thinks on the positive side of things. Time Space Magician... He may be gone, but he's still with me. I still have a chance. I just need to wait, be patient._ Soon it will be time for the Grand Finale!'

With my new resolve, I began my turn. "DRAW!" I looked at my seventh card and gasped at the sight of it. "This is-!... _Hola~! Bonjour~! Hello, everybody~!_ It's finally time for the climax of this show! Firstly, I summon Circus Freak Destiny in Attack Mode!" A child version of Time Space Magician appeared.

 **Circus Freak Destiny: Level 2/DARK/Spellcaster/500 ATK/500 DEF**

"Battle! Destiny! Attack Genocide-King Demon!"

"Fool! What good would that do?! You're just committing suicide!" Titan shouted.

"I activate Destiny's special ability! During the Battle Phase, I remove 1 Circus Counter from the field! That counter would be one of Stilt Walker's!" Stilt Walker's sticks were back to their wooden form. "Next I draw a card from my deck. If the card I draw is a monster, I take damage equal to its ATK and Special Summon it. However, if it is a Magic or Trap card, I will release Destiny and Special Summon a 'Circus Freak' monster from my Graveyard besides Destiny!"

"Then draw. There's no way luck would be on your side. Not in a Game of Darkness!"

"Luck will come! Draw!" I drew and revealed my card. "Trap Card, Miraculous Stunt! Which means Destiny will take his early leave!"

"Impossible!"

"It's possible! In place of Destiny, will be Circus Freak Time Space Magician! **Twisted Fate!** " If anyone has heard of the expression 'they grow up so fast', that expression can be used for Destiny, who quickly went into his adult form. "And in place of Destiny's attack is also Time Space Magician! **Time-Spacial Stream Buster!** " My magician let out a stream of energy at the demon, destroying it.

 **Titan: 1300 ATK**  
 **Kohaku: 2000 ATK**

"From my hand, I activate Death Rook Demon's special ability! If Genocide-King's destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, by discarding this card from my hand, I am able to Special Summon him back!" Sending his last card to the Graveyard, Titan once again revived his king. "And now this is where you end your turn!"

"Actually, _it's time for the Grand Finale!_ I activate Another Act's effect! Removing another Circus Counter from Stilt Walker and Destiny from my Grave, I can activate a card from my Graveyard!"

"It's pointless to summon out another monster!"

"I wonder about that! I once again activate Early Performance! Come to our side, Circus Freak Beast Tamer!" A lion-human hybrid in a lion tamer's clothes with a whip appeared.

 **Circus Freak Beast Tamer: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1700 ATK/1500 DEF**

"Now go, Beast Tamer! Attack Genocide-King!" My new monster prepared its whip for a strike.

"You have officially lost it!" Titan shouted.

"I actually won it! Instant Magic, Taming the Wild! This card can only be activated if a Beast-Type 'Circus Freak' monster battles an opponent's monster! I draw one card from my deck. If the card drawn is a monster card, my battling 'Circus Freak' monster gains ATK equal to the monster it's battling! And while he's on the field, Beast Tamer is considered as a Beast-type!"

"You may have gotten lucky the last time, but luck won't be on your side again!"

"It will. I believe it will! Draw!" I revealed my new drawn card again with a smirk.

"No way!"

"Circus Freak Swinger! A monster card! And with this, Beast Tamer gains your monster's ATK! **Breaking the Wild!** " I shouted, as my hybrid got bigger from the extra power.

 **Circus Freak Beast Tamer: 1700 + 2000 = 3700 ATK**

"This... This can't be!" my opponent gasped.

"It can! And by the way, my name is Fiore Kohaku! Beast Tamer, **Wild Slasher!** " The lash on Beast Tamer's whip turned into a flexible blade, allowing my monster to destroy Titan's and take out the rest of his Life Points.

 **Titan: 0 LP  
** **Kohaku: 2000 LP**

 **WINNER: KOHAKU!**

"Alright!" My victory cheer ended short as I saw Titan getting piled over by the black creatures, seeming to... I'd rather not finish that.

"My lady! Over here!" Time Space Magician called. I looked at his direction and saw light, which is also our exit out of here. I rushed towards the light and got out of that dimension.

"Kohaku!" I heard my friends call me.

"Guys!" I called back.

"You okay?" Judai asked me.

"Somewhat..."

We then saw the big purple orb that I was in shrinking and had a bad feeling.

"Get down!" Hayato told us. We all got down as a strong wind came, as though wanting to drag us along with the orb.

"Asuka!" Judai shouted. I turned and saw the coffin the unconscious Obelisk was in almost getting dragged into it as well, if it wasn't for Judai. Seconds later, the wind died down and the orb disappeared with a 'pop' and leaving some streamers. "Whoa. I didn't know he can do that trick." The Elemental Hero duelist gave a hand for the... act, I guess?

"That was dangerous though. Way different from the dangers I'm used to," I said, my head feeling a little light all of a sudden.

"Kohaku, where did that guy go?" Shou asked.

"He... kind of just... left..." was all I can say before losing consciousness.

* * *

 _ ***LATER**GENERAL'S P.O.V***_

"Kohaku! Kohaku!" Shou called, trying to wake their friend.

"Come on, Kohaku! Wake up!" Hayato followed.

"Don't die on us!" Judai followed, slapping her awake. And failing to.

After Kohaku became unconscious, the remained Osiris took her and Asuka out of the dorm. Asuka woke up some time ago and received her Etoile Cyber and a photo of her brother from Judai. Currently, she was checking Kohaku's pulse, which, to their relief, was pulsing.

"Move over!" the Obelisk ordered. Judai, who was the one being told to move, obliged to her wish. Asuka then placed both hands on Kohaku's chest and pumped, trying to get her lungs working. As she did, she felt something a bit off. "Just one moment." She lifted up Kohaku's shirt and, to all of their surprises, Kohaku was wearing a sports bra.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"... Well... This is awkward..." Shou spoke, breaking the silence.

"Do any of you know CPR?" Asuka asked. To her dismay, the three boys shook their heads no. "You owe me big time," she then whispered, for she began to do the mouth-to-mouth and pumped Kohaku's chest. She repeats the process, until a moan was heard from Kohaku, instantly stopping her from her work as the 'Circus Freak' duelist coughed and regained some more air in her lungs.

"Oh... My head... What happened?" the now-conscious Osiris asked.

"You lost conscious that's what," Judai answered.

"And it turned out to be because you inhaled too much of that mist back there," Shou explained.

"And Asuka had to perform CPR on you," Hayato ended.

"Which you will owe me big time," the Obelisk female said. "And in the process, we... sort of found out that you're a girl."

Kohaku looked down and saw that her shirt was lifted up, revealing her bra.

"Oh... And?" The rest of the group did an anime-fall at that answer in a carefree tone.

"What do you mean 'and'?!" Shou asked.

"After having to wear some revealing performer's clothes for some time, a girl would lose their shame that easily."

"But didn't you want you being a girl a secret?" Hayato asked.

"Not really. I actually wanted to tell you guys, but it keeps slipping my mind."

"Then why don't you wear girls' clothes instead of boys'?" Asuka questioned.

"Guys' clothes are more loose than girls'. Some skirts, dresses, and even pants are just too tight for me. As an entertainer, I have to wear tight clothes anyway to perform. The only time when I don't have to wear anything tight is when I don't perform. So I prefer to wear guys' clothes when I'm not doing anything that involves doing stunts."

"And what about your duels?" Judai questioned.

"That's different. Unlike when I have to perform in a real circus, in a duel, I have complete trust in my monsters who all live to entertain and help each other. In other words, I don't have to worry about getting hurt, because they have my back."

"Oh, I get it." Just then, the sun was coming up. "Crap! Hey, let's go back before everyone wakes up!"

"Sounds like a plan," I agreed to Judai's idea, putting my shirt down.

"Asuka-san."

"Well then."

"See you later!" Shou, Hayato and Judai said in that order.

"Hope we can find your brother soon, Asuka," I said, running after them back to the dorm.


	4. Punishment Call

**Coral: I honestly have nothing to say, except that there's less Entertainment in this chapter. After all, this chapter, rather this episode, is _that_ chapter. And I may... Okay I will be skipping Episode 8, since it basically is the same day as Episode 7, of what I can figure. So you can say that I may have mushed the two episodes together, though there isn't much of Episode 8 in this. In any case, ENJOY~!  
**

 **Aki: Can you not shout that every time you want to say 'enjoy'?**

 **Coral: But this is suppose to be a humor genre and my OC is one that likes to enjoy and be enjoyed~!.**

 **Aki: I'm beginning to wonder why I'm trying to reason with you with this story now.**

 **Coral: Heheh~**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 ** _*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*_**

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

It was a nice day on the island. The sun is rising, the air is fresh as ever, just another good day. That is, unless if you include an army truck coming to the Osiris dorm.

As the truck stopped at the front, a lot of soldiers came out and made their way to the second floor. Them walking up the stairs was loud enough to wake up Daitokuji.

"Who is it-nya?" he asked, opening his door. "For crying out loud, don't break the corridor or the floor will cave in... nya?" He saw and realized who were making so much noise. "T-T-The Academia Ethics Board, fearful enough to quell a crying child? Why are the people that'll undoubtedly expel you if they're rubbed the wrong way here at our dorm?!"

Meanwhile, in Judai's room, he, Shou and Hayato were sleeping so sounding, loud enough to not hear the commotion. In Kohaku's room, on the other hand, she was a morning person, always being able to wake up the second the sun rises, and heard footsteps coming towards her door.

"Who could that be at this time?" she wondered. Curiosity took over her as she opened the door, just as a woman older and taller than her was about to knock. "Can I help you?"

"Fiore Kohaku, right?" the woman asked, ignoring the question.

"Yes."

"You're coming with us, along with Yuki Judai and Marufuji Shou."

Shrugging off all the questions that popped out of her head, Kohaku obliged to her request.

* * *

 ** _*LATER*_**

"EHHH?! Expelled?!" the two male Osiris repeated in a questioned tone.

"Why? What for?!" Kohaku demanded.

"Eariler today, Yuki Judai and two other accomplices broke into the special dormitory, which is closed-off and was made off-limits, and wreaked hovac inside," the woman from before explained. "The investigation has commenced!"

"We'll do anything you say, just give us a chance!" Judai pleaded.

"Well then, I propose another way to penalize you three," Chronos spoke. "And that would be a Punishment Duel and a Punishment Tag Duel."

"Punishment Duel?" Kohaku repeated the first half.

"And Punishment Tag Duel?" Judai repeated the second half.

"Precisely. Yuki Judai and Marufuji Shou, you two will form a tag team to duel- no ne. Fiore Kohaku, on the other hand, you will be dueling on your own- no ne. Should you win your duels, you will then be cleared of all charges- na no ne."

"Tag duel, huh? Sounds interesting," the 'Elemental Hero' duelist smirked.

"Huh? This is bad, Big Bro!" Shou told him.

"Principal, it seems that even he himself is satisfied with the idea."

"It seems we have no choice," the headmaster said.

"Should you lose, you will be expelled immediately! The opponents you will face in your duel will be made in public by me at a later time- no ne."

"Wait just one second," Kohaku spoke.

"Is there a problem?" the headmaster asked.

"Before just jumping into conclusion about us being in the dorm, shouldn't you ask us why we were there in the first place?"

"What's there to explain? All that matters is that you three broke the rule!" the woman exclaimed.

"Except we had a reason for being there!" Kohaku, for once in her life, outside of duel, raised her voice. "Some weird guy-!"

"I believe I said no excuse!"

"Can't you at least-?!"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down, Kohaku!" Judai tried to calm her.

"This isn't like you at all, Kohaku!" Shou supported.

Some time later, after calming Kohaku down, the three Osiris returned to their dorm, working on their decks for their upcoming duel in their room. Well, two out of three are. Hayato, who went out to convince the Principal to put him in the Tag Duel with Judai, walked into their room.

"I can't do this! I'll lose and get expelled for sure! Hayato-kun! Please take my place!" Shou begged the koala-face duelist.

"I was thinking the same thing, but anything decided by the Inquiry Board can't be changed," Hayato apologized.

"Don't sweat it. We just need to win, right? Just win," Judai told him.

"Big Bro, you say that like it's nothing, but have you ever played a Tag Duel before?"

"Nope. It'll be fun because I never had it."

"Y-You're nuts!"

"If you're really my little bro, then you'll suck it up and do the best you can." Shou was silent at his words. "I still don't know a darn thing about the make-up of your deck. Let's have a duel and test our skills." With that, they went out to do a practice duel.

Meanwhile, with Kohaku, she's lying on her bed, looking at her deck. "How did we get in this situation?" she asked.

"Well, you were right about not going," Time Space Magician said, appearing next to her. "They just didn't listen and convinced you into going."

"Yeah. Now that I think about it, if the dorm was off-limits, they could've just take it down instead of leaving it abandoned. Of course someone with a high sense of adventure would want to go in."

"True."

Silence engulfed the room. It was broken by the sound of a growl.

"Well, I didn't get anything to eat. Might as well have some early brunch," Kohaku said. With that in mind, she got out of bed and walked out of her room.

"While you're at it, you should find someone to duel with. Might improve your skill."

"Yeah, yeah." As she walked away from her dorm, she looked up at the sky, wondering who her opponent should be. Sure there are plenty of Obelisk Blues who want to take her down, but none of them lasted long enough, at least, of the amount that she dueled.

"Then again, is there anyone who wants to duel me?" she wondered out loud.

"What about Asuka?" Time Space Magician suggested.

"Now that you mentioned it, I haven't dueled her yet. Okay! After getting some food in my stomach, I'll find Asuka and duel her!"

Some time later, Kohaku finished brunch and looked for Asuka.

"I looked in the lunchroom, the lighthouse, the classrooms, the girls' bathroom, even the girls' locker room, and there's no sign of her," Kohaku grumbled.

"There's still one other place you haven't checked," Time Space Magician said.

"And that is?"

"The Obelisk Blue female dorm."

"I already got more than enough trouble going into the girls' bathroom and the girls' locker room. And I'm a girl too!"

"Well, you look like a boy to other people. Perhaps you should've worn the female uniform, then this wouldn't have happened."

"You should know by now that I'm more comfortable in guys' clothes than I am with girls'."

"Then let your hair grow out."

"It would get all over my face while I so my dueling style."

"Why are you talking to yourself?" came a different voice.

"I'm talking to-" Kohaku stopped her answer short as she realized someone else was speaking to her. In fact that someone was- "Asuka! When did you get here?!"

"Since you began talking about getting into enough trouble going into girls-only places," the blonde Obelisk answered.

"Ah hahaha... You wouldn't believe me if I tell you why I was 'talking to myself'."

"Ever since you came here, I decided to stop believing half the things you say anyway. But that doesn't mean that I won't listen." Kohaku smiled at those words. "So, apparently, I also heard my friends saying that you were looking for me."

"Oh yeah. Want to duel?"

"Huh? Why?"

"Well, since I'm going to do that Punishment Duel, might as well make some improvements with my style. So, want to be my _Training Partner_?"

"... Sure thing. I wanted to duel you anyway," she accepted.

They got to a Duel Field that was 'supposedly' belong to Obelisks and got ready to duel.

"Duel!"

 **Asuka: 4000 LP  
Kohaku: 4000 LP**

"I'll take the first move. Draw." Asuka drew her next card. "From my hand, I activate Fusion! I fuse Etoile Cyber and Blade Skater to Fusion Summon Cyber Blader!" Two female warrior, one red and blue with long orange hair and ribbons around her arms and one in two different shades of purple, fused together to make a female warrior in red and blue with long dark blue hair.

 **Cyber Blader: Level 7/EARTH/Warrior/2100 ATK/1800 DEF**

"Huh? That's it?" Kohaku asked, not impressed with the Fusion Summon.

"'That's it'? What do you mean?"

"Nothing. Don't let it get to you."

A bit bothered by the female Osiris' words, Asuka continued her turn. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

"My turn. Draw." Kohaku drew her sixth card. " _Let's start this show!_ I'll start off with the Continuous Magic, Fast Preparation! Once per turn, if I control no monsters, I can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower 'Circus Freak' monster from my hand! _Everyone, please welcome,_ the performer who is master of object manipulation~! Circus Freak Contact Juggler!" The monkey-man monster appeared on the Osiris' field in Defense.

 **Circus Freak Contact Juggler: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/0 ATK/2000 DEF**

"And he won't be alone! I summon Circus Freak Stilt Walker!" A small clown on stilts came next to the monkey in Attack.

 **Circus Freak Stilt Walker: Level 2/DARK/Spellcaster/800 ATK/1600 DEF**

"Because you have two monsters on the field, Cyber Blader's special ability activates. While there are two monsters on my opponent's field, her ATK points are doubled!" Asuka's Fusion Monster got bigger as its power increased.

 **Cyber Blader: 2100 x 2 = 4200 ATK**

"I set one card face-down and end my turn," Kohaku finished.

"My turn. Draw."

' _With how the field is, if I recall, both those monsters have the ability to negate an attack, so it's impossible for me to get to her Life Points,'_ Asuka thought. ' _With Cyber Tutu in my hand, it's possible making a direct attack, however, both of Kohaku's monsters have ATK lower than her's. If you are able to start a field like that, Kohaku, your upcoming opponent won't be able to get your Life Points for two turns at most. However..._ '

"I summon Cyber Tutu!" A young ballerina appeared next to Asuka's Cyber Blader.

 **Cyber Tutu: Level 3/EARTH/Warrior/1000 ATK/800 DEF**

"Battle! Cyber Blader attacks Circus Freak Contact Juggler!"

"I activate Contact Juggler's special ability! Once per turn, when he's targeted for an attack, I send one card from my deck to my Graveyard and negate that attack," Kohaku defended.

"I had a feeling you would do that," Asuka said in response. "Counter Trap activate! Pure Pupil! When my opponent activates a monster's special ability while I control a monster with 1000 or less ATK, that ability is negated and the monster is destroyed!"

"What?!" the 'Circus Freak' duelist gasped, as Cyber Tutu tied Contact Jugglers arms behind him, preventing him from redirecting the upcoming attack and did the suplex on him, destroying him.

"And since he's gone, I'll have Cyber Blader attack Stilt Walker instead! And because you only have one monster, Cyber Blader's ATK reverts back to normal!"

 **Cyber Blader: 4200 / 2 = 2100 ATK**

" **Glissade Slash!** " Said monster changed her attack target to the remaining 'Circus Freak' monster.

"I activate Stilt Walker's special ability! When targeted for an attack while in Attack Position, I can change him to Defense Position and negate the attack! **Stilt Evasion!** " Kohaku's monster got off its stilts, just managed to avoid getting destroyed, and got on the defense.

"From my hand, I activate the Instant Magic, Prima Light. This sends Cyber Tutu to my Graveyard and allows me to Special Summon 'Cyber Prima' form my hand." In place of the young female monster is an older white ballerina.

 **Cyber Prima: Level 6/LIGHT/Warrior/2300 ATK/1600 DEF**

"Cyber Prima attacks Stilt Walker! **The Ending Reverence!** " Asuka's new monster charged at Stilt Walker, destroying it. "I end my turn."

"My turn. Draw." Kohaku drew her next card. "Asuka, you really are strong. Even though you didn't decrease my Life Points, you're strong."

"Thanks for the compliment, but I hope you realize that compliments won't get you anywhere."

"Of course I know that. I summon Circus Freak Puppeteer!" The puppet-like clown appeared on Kohaku's field.

 **Circus Freak Puppeteer: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/1900 ATK/0 DEF**

"Next I activate Puppeteer's special ability! When he's summoned, I can target one monster my opponent controls and take control over it! I will take control over... _You,_ Cyber Blader! **Puppet Controller!** " Strings from Puppeteer's fingertips made their way over to Asuka's Fusion monster, taking control over it.

"What?!" the original owner of the Fusion monster gasped at the sight of her monster being taken.

"Next is the Continuous Trap, Trick-in-a-Box! With this card's effect, I will target one monster my opponent controls and one 'Circus Freak' monster I control. Control over those two targets, are swapped! You only have Cyber Prima on your field. And the only 'Circus Freak' monster I have on my field is Puppeteer, therefore control over these monsters are swapped!" Two boxes appeared and trapped the two designated monsters. They glowed for a few seconds. After the glow died down, the two boxes opened, revealing that the monsters swapped places.

"Battle! Cyber Blader attacks Puppeteer! **Glissade Slash!** " Asuka's monster attacked Kohaku's monster, as well as dealing damage to her original controller.

 **Asuka: 3800 LP  
** **Kohaku: 4000 LP**

"Next is Trick-in-a-Box's second effect! If the monster affected by this card is destroyed, that monster returns to its original owner's field instead of going to the Graveyard!" From the sky, a speck of light was seen and coming down was the laughing puppet, using its strings as bungee-cords. It stopped just inches away from having its face meet the floor. "Now I attack you with Cyber Prima! **The Ending Reverence!** " Asuka's second monster also made her attack on the duelist.

 **Asuka: 1500 LP  
** **Kohaku: 4000 LP**

"This is the end! Circus Freak Puppeteer attacks you directly! **Whipping Strings** **!** " The sole performer used its strings as whips, ending the duel.

 **Asuka: 0 LP  
** **Kohaku: 4000 LP**

 **WINNER: KOHAKU!**

"That was some duel. If I had known that you have those kind of cards, I would've set something to protect myself," Asuka said.

"I'm full of surprises. I'm an entertainer after all. Can't show everything to my opponent, even if they are my friend," Kohaku cheerfully said. "Well, I suppose that takes care of one thing now..."

"One thing?"

"The other thing that I want to take care of is how I'm going to reveal to everyone that I'm really a girl? As much as I want to tell them my true gender, I doubt anyone would believe me."

They both were in deep thought at the problem. Kohaku looks too much like a boy after all, and she doesn't like to have her hair long or wear girls' clothes. Although...

"By any chance, do you have any of those circus costumes?" Asuka asked.

"Why?" It didn't take long for the female Osiris to know that the female Obelisk was thinking. "Ooooh... I see... Yeah, that might work. Just remind me. I'm forgetful about things that concerns my gender."

"Got it. By the way, you now owe me two favors."

" _Okay~._ "


	5. New Friend of Light and Darkness

**Coral: This has to be the longest chapter I've ever done... EVER! Over 7k words in this chapter! I could hardly believe it!  
**

 **Aki: That's a new record.**

 **Coral: I know! I never thought that I would write- I mean, type this much for a single chapter!**

 **Aki: Guess we still learn something new everyday.**

 **Coral: Yep. Oh, and for those of you who are expecting a Hayato vs his dad duel... I'm sorry. There isn't any of that duel in here. BUT! I did put in two duels to make up for that!**

 **Aki: More like one and a half.**

 **Coral: Hush. In any case, for this chapter and both duels...**

 **Aki: *covers ears***

 **Coral: ENJOY~!**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 ** _*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*_**

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

A couple days passed since Kohaku, Judai and Shou were called up for their Punishment Duel; Kohaku's being solo, and Judai and Shou's being Tag Team. Since then, the three of them practiced and trained themselves for the day they would duel.

With the 'Circus Freak' duelist, she's currently going up against a fellow Osiris Red. Actually, he was suppose to be in Blue, but decided to be in Red instead.

Alejandro Nagase, otherwise known as Alex, is a tanned Japanese-American duelist. He has short spiky hair, a medium build, Osiris blazer with a black shirt underneath, blue jeans and black and white skateboard shoes. His family consists of a monster who was a pro-duelist and a father who works in Kaiba-Corp. Not only that, but he was familiar with Pegasus. It was because of those connections that people said he should've been an Obelisk. However, Alex believed he still had a lot to learn about Duel Monsters, so it was best for him to start off as Red, for he doesn't like to be given special treatment.

Back to the duel, currently on Kohaku's field are Circus Freak Assistant in Defense and two face downs, whereas on Alex's field are Lightray Diabolos, a white, blue and yellow dragon in a clown jumpsuit wearing a clown's hat and a rubber nose (from the previously destroyed Circus Show), and one face-down. Both players had two cards in their hands.

 **Kohaku: 1600 LP  
** **Alex: 2500 LP**

 **Circus Freak Assistant: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1000 ATK/1000 DEF**

 **Lightray Diabolos: Level 7/LIGHT/Dragon/2800 ATK/1000 DEF**

"My turn! Draw!" Alex shouted, as he drew his next card. "Things are about to get wild around here! Since there are exactly 3 DARK monsters in my Graveyard, I Special Summon Dark Armed Dragon!" A dark-greenish black armored dragon emerged onto the field from the shadows and let out a loud roar, releasing some heavy shockwaves.

 **Dark Armed Dragon: Level 7/DARK/Dragon/2800 ATK/1000 DEF**

"Next I activate his effect! I remove 1 DARK monster from my Graveyard from play to target one card on the field and destroy it! I will destroy the face-down card on my left! **Dark Armed Breaker!** " The DARK dragon shot out some of the blades from its armor, piercing through the target and destroying it. "That's one down. Now with Diabolos' effect, I remove one of my remaining LIGHT monsters from my Graveyard from play and reveal your remaining face-down." The card was flipped face-up, revealing it to be Fast Preparation. "Then that card goes into your top or bottom of your deck. I choose the top! **Light Replacement!** " The dragon shined so bright, the face-down disintegrated and returned to Kohaku's deck. "This is my best combo! I call this **Darklight Destruction!** Now Dark Armed Dragon attacks Assistant! **Dark Armed Destroyer!** " The armored dragon's fist was suddenly covered in dark flames and blades. The fist was brought down and destroyed Assistant. "Lightray Diabolos attacks directly! **Light Burst Stream!** This is the end!" The 'Lightray' monster let out its breath attack on the 'Circus Freak' duelist.

"Nope, this is actually the beginning! From my hand I activate Circus Freak Ventriloquism's effect!" Kohaku responded. "During either player's turn, I can discard this card from my hand and draw 1 card! If the card I draw is a monster, that card can be Special Summoned or just be kept in my hand."

"However, we both know that the next card is a Continuous Magic."

"And since it is, it can instead be activated!" Alex gasped as the Magic card he sent back to his opponent's deck was returned to the field. "And since this card is activated by Ventriloquism's effect, it also means I can use its effect to Special Summon Circus Freak Destiny from my hand!" The young version of Kohaku's ace card appeared on her field.

 **Circus Freak Destiny: Level 2/DARK/Spellcaster/500 ATK/500 DEF**

"Then looks like I'll have my monster destroy your's instead!" Dark Armed Dragon went for the young entertainer for its attack.

"Or so you think! Destiny's effect activates! During either player's Battle Phase, I am able to remove 1 Circus Counter to draw 1 card. Good thing I sent all three of Circus Show's counters to your monster when it was destroyed."

"So that's why you sent them to my monster. You sure are a gambler, aren't you, Kohaku?"

"I prefer to be called a believer, Alex. Now I remove one of those Circus Counters and draw a card!" As the rubber gloves on Diabolos' hands were removed, Kohaku drew a card and revealed it. "Magic card, Team Performance! With this, I switch Destiny for Assistant! **Twisted Fate!** " The mini-Time Space Magician swapped places with the clown. "And since Assistant was Special Summoned, I draw cards for every empty monster zone! In total there are seven! So I will draw seven cards!" Cards were added to the female Osiris' hand.

"However, it's still destroyed by Dark Armed Dragon," Alex said, as his dragon finally fought and destroyed a monster. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

"My turn. Draw!" Kohaku smirked at her hand and newly drawn card. " _Hola~! Bonjour~! Hello, everybody~!_ It's finally time for this show to come to a close~! From my field, I activate Fast Preparation to Special Summon Circus Freak Juggler from my hand~!" A 'Circus Freak' similar to Contact Juggler appeared onto her field.

 **Circus Freak Juggler: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1600 ATK/1000 DEF**

"Next from my hand I activate the Instant Magic, Early Performance! With this I Special Summon Circus Freak Trampoline from my hand!" A clown whose body looked like a round trampoline appeared next to the juggler in Defense.

 **Circus Freak Trampoline: Level 2/DARK/Spellcaster/400 ATK/900 DEF**

"Now then, _everybody,_ please keep your eyes on the two dragons before us~! For Trampoline will send them both flying~!"

"And may I ask how that's possible?" Alex asked.

"Trampoline has quite a frightening ability. When this card is Special Summoned, I am able to return cards on the field equal to or less than the number of 'Circus Freak' cards I currently control to their owner's hand~ **Trampolend~!** " The new debuted monster bounced over to the two monsters and, using its trampoline, forced them back into Alex's hand. "I now release these two monsters to Advance Summon, the show's main star, Circus Freak Time Space Magician!" The two monsters were removed from the field. In their place was the masked magician.

 **Circus Freak Time Space Magician: Level 7/DARK/Spellcaster/2500 ATK/2000 DEF**

"Now Time Space Magician attacks the player directly~! **Time-Spacial Stream Buster!** " The high-level monster shot its signature attack at the Light and Dark duelist.

"I activate Mirror Force!" he tried to defend, only to see his card not working.

"Time Space Magician prevents Spell and Trap cards that targets and destroys 'Circus Freak' monsters from activating!" With that, the duel came to an end.

 **Kohaku: 1600 LP  
** **Alex: 0000 LP**

 **WINNER: KOHAKU!**

"Whew... That was a close duel," Kohaku sighed, falling on her butt.

"I'll say. I thought I had you there," Alex agreed, holding out a hand.

Kohaku accepted it and got up with his help. "If I didn't have Ventriloquism in my hand, I would've definitely lost."

"But even so, you can't always rely on luck and gamble to win. The Punishment Duel is suppose to be different after all. If the opponent has a card that forces you to drop a card you really need, you'll be in a huge trouble."

"Heheh. That is, unless if I go all out," the female Osiris whispered, but loud enough for Alex to hear.

"What was that?"

"Oh nothing~"

"You've been holding back this whole time!? Even in that Team Duel when we first met on this island!?"

"You're one to talk! During this whole duel, and even that Team Duel, you didn't summon your ace card!"

Let's go back to how things were yesterday.

* * *

 _ ***FLASHBACK***_

Kohaku was wandering around the island, looking for a strong duelist to duel her, help her make some improvements with her deck. Asuka would've helped, if not for the fact that her friends took her away for 'girl things'. Kohaku was also a girl, but to most people on the island, she's a he. That's another thing she wanted Asuka to be with her; so they can plan how Kohaku would be true to her gender.

"Would you guys just cut it out?" came a bored-toned voice. Kohaku looked at the direction of the voice and saw an Osiris getting ganged up by a few Obelisks.

"No way! Not until you give us that rare card we saw you waving around!" Obelisk 1 argued.

"A card like that shouldn't be with a dropout like you," Obelisk 2 said.

"Says who?" the Osiris asked.

"Says us Obelisk Elites," Obelisk 3 told him.

"Now give us your card," Obelisk 4 demanded.

"Don't wanna. Besides, it's not a crime for someone in the starting rank to have a card like Light and Darkness Dragon."

"Who said you have the right to say the name of the card?!"

"Why can't I~? It's been with me longer than it has with you guys~" the Osiris said in a laid-back tone.

Kohaku couldn't watch any more of the indirect bullying and walked into the scene. "Hey. What's going on?"

The five guys had eyes on her. "Oh look, it's another one," Obelisk 1 said in disgust.

"Scram, punk," Obelisk 3 waved.

"Hmm... Then how about a duel?" Kohaku asked. "Osiris vs Obelisk. You win, I leave and you can have whatever card you wanted to take from him. We win, you leave us Osiris alone."

"Hah. Like we have time for a duel against weaklings," Obelisk 2 shrugged.

"I suppose that's true."

"I as well," the Osiris agreed, playing along with Kohaku's plan. "Why would 4 Obelisks want to humiliate themselves in losing to 2 Osiris?" The four blues turned their attention to the boy.

"What did you say?!" Obelisk 4 demanded once more.

"He said why would 4 Obelisks want to humiliate themselves in losing to 2 Osiris?!" Kohaku repeated, louder than how it was said the first time.

"You're both asking for it!" The four blues took out their duel disks and turned them on.

"You have your disk?" Kohaku asked her partner.

"Of course. By the way, my name is Alejandro Nagase. But you can call me Alex," the male Osiris, Alex, said with a wink.

"Okay, Alex."

"DUEL!"

 **Kohaku: 4000 LP**  
 **Alex: 4000 LP**  
 **Obelisk 1: 4000 LP**  
 **Obelisk 2: 4000 LP**  
 **Obelisk 3: 4000 LP**  
 **Obelisk 4: 4000 LP**

"How about two Obelisks then an Osiris turn?" Alex asked.

"More chances for us than, not like we don't have the advantage in the first place," Obelisk 1 said. "I'll start first. Draw." He drew his sixth card. "I set one monster in face-down Defense Position and set one card face-down and end my turn."

"I'm next." Obelisk 2 drew his sixth card. "I summon Genetic Warwolf in Attack mode!" A white and blue-striped werewolf with four arms appeared on their field.

 **Genetic Warwolf: Level 4/EARTH/Beast-Warrior/2000 ATK/100 DEF**

"Next I equip Gene-Warped Warwolf with Big Bang Shoot! This gives him 400 ATK and the ability to inflict piercing damage!" A red aura surrounds the Beast-Warrior, as it gains Big Bang Shoot's effects.

 **Genetic Warwolf: 2000 + 400 = 2400 ATK**

"I end my turn."

"My turn. Draw." Alex drew his sixth. "Okay. I summon Familiar Knight in Defense Position!" A knight appeared on the Osiris field in Defense.

 **Familiar Knight: Level 3/DARK/Warrior/1200 ATK/1400 DEF**

"I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

"You call that a monster?! I'm surprised it exists!" Obelisk 3 mocked. "My turn. Draw!" He drew his card. "I activate Ancient Rule from my hand! I am able to Special Summon a Level 5 or higher Normal Monster from my hand. I will use its effect to Special Summon my ace, Founder God-Bird, Simurgh!" A great big yellow bird with two pairs of wings appeared on their field, letting out a loud screech.

 **Founder God-Bird, Simurgh: Level 8/WIND/Winged-Beast/2900 ATK/2000 DEF**

"While it was in my hand, Simurgh can be treated as a Normal Monster. I end my turn."

"Which means it's my turn. Draw!" Obelisk 4 drew his next card. "I activate Vice Dragon's special ability from my hand! Since my opponent controls a monster and I have no monsters, I am able to Special Summon this card from my hand. However, his ATK and DEF are halved." A small purple dragon with green wings burst onto the field.

 **Vice Dragon: Level 5/DARK/Dragon/2000 ATK/2400 DEF**

 **Vice Dragon: 2000 / 2 = 1000 ATK**

 **Vice Dragon: 2400 / 2 = 1200 DEF**

"Now I use Dark Grepher's special ability from my hand! By discarding a DARK attribute monster whose Level is 5 or higher, this card can be Special Summoned." After sending a monster from his hand to grave, a dark-skinned warrior came next to the dragon, a sword in his hand.

 **Dark Grepher: Level 4/DARK/Warrior/1700 ATK/1600 DEF**

"Now I release both these monsters for my Ace Card, Demon King Diabolos!" Both those monsters were engulfed in dark flames and, emerging from those flames, a dark armored dragon came.

 **Demon King Diabolos: Level 7/DARK/Dragon/2800 ATK/1000 DEF**

"I will end my turn here. So, go ahead and start your turn."

"I will. My turn."

"Diabolos' effect activates!" Obelisk 4 interrupted Kohaku. "During your Draw Phase, before you can draw you card, I am allowed to see what that next card is. And the best part is, I get to choose if it stays on the top of your deck, letting you draw it that is, or move it to the bottom, where you won't be able to get the card at all."

"That's a dirty trick, don't you think!?" Alex shouted.

"Shut it, you stupid dropout! Now then, show me your card." Kohaku, unfazed by the effect, revealed her top card. And it was such a good card too because it was- "Circus Freak Time Space Magician. Last I remember, that card gave Taiyou and Raizou a hard time. But we won't be seeing that eyesore because it's going to the bottom of your deck." The revealed card was moved to the bottom of Kohaku's deck.

"That's just great."

"Don't worry, Alex," Kohaku assured. "Time Space Magician will still make his appearance soon. Just not now."

"We'd like to see you try to get him out," Obelisk 2 taunted.

"I still haven't drawn yet anyway. Draw." Kohaku drew her sixth card. " _The show has just begun~!_ I activate the Continuous Magic, Fast Preparation! Since I have no monsters on my field, once per turn, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower 'Circus Freak' monster from my hand. Come out, Circus Freak Trapeze Artist!" The swinging stuntman appeared on her field in Defense.

 **Circus Freak Trapeze Artist: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1400 ATK/1000 DEF**

"Next, I summon Circus Freak Stilt Walker!" The stilt-walking clown appeared next to him.

 **Circus Freak Stilt Walker: Level 2/DARK/Spellcaster/800 ATK/1600 DEF**

"I set one card face-down and end my turn."

"That's it? That's all you got? Man, Taiyou and Raizou might've went too easy on you that time then," Obelisk 3 said.

"But in any case, it's my turn now. Draw." Obelisk 1 drew his card.

"Because the person who drew was not my opponent, Diabolos' effect does not activate," Obelisk 4 answered an unasked question.

"And now, I Flip Summon XENO." The face-down monster was revealed to be a purple mouth with a pair of eyes in it.

 **XENO: Level 2/WATER/Fiend/200 ATK/100 DEF**

"Next I activate its Reverse Effect. I am able to take control of one monster my opponent controls until the end of this turn! **Demise Controller!** " Obelisk 1's monster's tongue was shot out and struck Stilt Walker, forcing it over to their side. "And that's not all. The monster controlled by this effect can attack twice! But what's the point of attacking directly with a weak monster? I release both these weaklings for a real monster! Come, Darkness Destroyer!" The two monsters left the field, as a black armor-skinned dinosaur appeared.

 **Darkness Destroyer: Level 7/DARK/Fiend/2300 ATK/1800 DEF**

"And with his effect, I can attack twice during each battle phase. And when he attacks a Defense Position monster, he is able to inflict piercing damage to my opponent!"

"Even if you can get rid of our monsters, we'd still have some Life left," Alex told him.

"I know. Which is why I'll use the Equip Magic, Gravity Axe - Grarl. This gives my monster 500 ATK points and, as long as this card is face-up on the field, you dropouts cannot change your monsters' Battle Position!" A double-bladed axe was formed and taken in the monster's hand.

 **Darkness Destroyer: 2300 + 500 = 2800 ATK**

"This is more than enough to take one of you two out. Darkness Destroyer! Attack Familiar Knight directly! **Destruction Bomber!** " The monster let out a ferocious blast at the kneeling warrior, destroying him and dealing damage to the Osiris.

 **Kohaku: 4000 LP**  
 **Alex: 2600 LP**  
 **Obelisk 1: 4000 LP**  
 **Obelisk 2: 4000 LP**  
 **Obelisk 3: 4000 LP**  
 **Obelisk 4: 4000 LP**

"Familiar Knight's special ability activates. Once destroyed and sent to the Graveyard as a result of Battle, each player can Special Summon 1 Level 4 monster from their hand. From my hand, I Special Summon Double Costom! **Sacrificial Calling!** " In place of the fallen knight, two purple ghosts were formed.

 **Double Costom: Level 4/DARK/Zombie/1700 ATK/1650 DEF**

Besides Obelisk 2, who summoned another Genetic Warwolf, the other Obelisks gritted their teeth for they don't have a Level 4 monster in their hands.

" _What a convenient card,_ " Kohaku complimented. "In that case, I Special Summon Circus Freak Unicycler from my hand~!" The clown on the unicycle appeared onto the field.

 **Circus Freak Unicycler: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/1400 ATK/1800 DEF**

"Like that'll do anything. I will attack with my monster again! **Destruction Bomber 2!** " Darkness Destroyer went in for another blast.

"No, he won't attack again actually," Kohaku intervened. " _Boys and girls~!_ Do take a nice look at Unicycler's unicycle~" The five other duelists did just that, as the 'Circus Freak' monster tossed its one-wheeled cycle at the big black Fiend-type. From the cogset, mechanical hands came out and wrapped themselves around it.

"What?! What did you do to my monster?!" Obelisk 1 demanded.

"Unicycler's special ability. Once per turn, during either player's turn, I am able to negate the effects of any face-up card on the field and place 1 Circus Counter on that card. _This is_ **Cycle Break~!** "

"Which would mean that the second attack is no attack at all," Alex added.

" _That's right~_ And even better! He can only attack once per turn~!"

"Then I'll just end my turn with a face-down," Obelisk 1 ended.

"My turn. Draw. I release both my Genetic Warwolf to Advance Summon Devilzoa!" The two werewolves left the field for a blue wicked monster to appear.

 **Devilzoa: Level 7/DARK/Fiend/2600 ATK/1900 DEF**

"And here I activate my trap card!" Obelisk 1 shouted.

"A trap card during your teammate's turn?" Kohaku gasped.

"Oh it's not a destruction trap. If I did that, I wouldn't be in Obelisk. The trap card I activated is Metalization - Magic-Reflection Armor!" The new-summoned monster was covered in metal-armor. "My partner's monster's ATK gains 300 ATK and DEF and when it attacks a monster, it gains more ATK from half the attack target!"

 **Devilzoa: 2600 + 300 = 2900 ATK**

"And that's not all. When equipped with that trap, Devilzoa is able to use its true power! From my deck, by releasing Devilzoa equipped with Metalization - Magic-Reflection Armor, I am able to Special Summon Metal Devilzoa!" The metal shined and wore off, revealing a mechanical version of the original Devilzoa.

 **Metal Devilzoa: Level 8/DARK/Machine/3000 ATK/2300 DEF**

"And from my hand, I equip it with Gravity Blaster." A satellite of some kind was formed above the Machine-type. "Unlike normal Equips, Gravity Blaster permanently gives the equipped monster 400 ATK, even after it leaves the field and the monster becomes unaffected by card effects."

 **Metal Devilzoa: 3000 + 400 = 3400 ATK**

"And that's not all. When the equipped monster Battles an opponent's monster, that monster's effect is negated! I'll attack Double Costom! **Metal X Scissors!** " The machine monster charged at the two ghosts, preparing to destroy them both.

"Take that attack back! Magic Cylinder trap card activate!" Alex shouted, activating his set card. "With this card, I can negate the attack of one monster and inflict damage to my opponent equal to that monster's attack!" Two cylinders appeared, one absorbing the attack and the other sending it back at Obelisk 2, dealing immense amount of damage.

 **Kohaku: 4000 LP**  
 **Alex: 2600 LP**  
 **Obelisk 1: 4000 LP**  
 **Obelisk 2: 600 LP**  
 **Obelisk 3: 4000 LP**  
 **Obelisk 4: 4000 LP**

"Idiot! What were you thinking?!" Obelisk 3 demanded.

"How was I suppose to remember about his face-down?! Or think it was a trap?!" Obelisk 2 defended.

"You should've remembered!" Obelisk 1 shouted.

"Rather, you should've seen it!" Obelisk 4 added.

"They're Osiris, though! They usually mess up in these kind of stuff!"

While they are arguing, the two Osiris looked on in slight confusion.

"He really thinks we're that stupid, doesn't he?" Kohaku asked.

"Apparently so. With how they are arguing, they make our dorm look better," Alex agreed.

"Hey~ Instead of arguing like two pairs of married couple, how about you get back to dueling?" Kohaku taunted.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING MARRIED COUPLES?!" they all shouted, quickly forgetting about the great damage loss.

"I'll just end my turn," Obelisk 2 told them.

"Then it's my turn," the male Osiris spoke.

"And before you draw, don't forget Diabolos' effect." Alex revealed his top card. "White-Horned Dragon, huh? Too bad it's going to the bottom."

Alex placed his card to the bottom and drew the card after that. "I summon Different Dimension Warrior Lady in Defense mode." An armored blonde woman came to the field next to the ghosts.

 **Different Dimension Warrior Lady: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/1500 ATK/1600 DEF**

"Hey, Kohaku. Mind using that effect again?"

"Sure thing, Alex," the female Osiris nodded. "I use Unicycler's effect. Negating the effect of Gravity Axe - Grarl!" The clown summoned another unicycle and tossed it over to the monster the weapon was equipped to. This forced the monster to drop the axe, getting it taken in the cycle's mechanical hands.

 **Darkness Destroyer: 2800 - 500 = 2300 ATK**

"With that effect out of the way, I switch Double Costom to Defense. I end my turn."

"My turn, draw!" Obelisk 3 drew another card. "I activate Foolish Burial. This allows me to send 1 monster from my deck to the Graveyard. I send Nine-Snakes Peacock. Then I remove Nine-Snakes Peacock from play to Special Summon The Wind Spirit, Garuda!" A twister formed and, coming out of it, was a humanoid-bird.

 **The Wind Spirit, Garuda: Level 4/WIND/Winged-Beast/1600 ATK/1200 DEF**

"Now I release Garuda to Advance Summon Death Cyclone!" The bird-man hybrid was engulfed and destroyed in a horrible cyclone, which changed its shape into one of a reptile.

 **Death Cyclone: Level 7/WIND/Reptile/2000 ATK/1500 DEF**

"This isn't good," Kohaku muttered to Alex.

"Yeah. Death Cyclone lives up to its name. If we destroy that, we'd be destroying our monsters with it. And even if you somehow get Time Space Magician out, it wouldn't mean anything since he only blocks Magic and Trap cards. And not only that, because of Simurgh's effect, he's able to be summoned with one less tribute because he's a WIND attribute."

"Not that I'm insulting our dorm, but you are very knowledgeable for an Osiris. Of what I know since I came here, that kind of knowledge should put you in Ra Yellow."

"Talk later."

"Don't know what you dropouts are muttering about over there, but I'll end my turn here," Obelisk 3 finished with a smirk.

"My turn. Draw. I equip Diabolos with Meteor Strike! This allows Diabolos to inflict piercing damage if he attacks a Defense Position monster! Diabolos attacks Trapeze Artist! **Demonic Crusher Impact!** " The DARK dragon-type's fist was engulfed in black flames, sending a meteor-impacted attack at the defending Circus Freak.

" _It's too early for a leave~!_ I activate my trap card, Grand Escape~! This negates an attack on a 'Circus Freak' monster and ends the Battle Phase~!" Trapeze Artist, at the last second, avoided the attack and got on Diabolos' back, doing the rodeo.

"Hey! Get your monster off of mine!" Obelisk 4 yelled.

" _Now, now._ Let the performers have their fun and entertainment~ And while Trapeze Artist is occupying your monster, I will draw cards for each monster on the opposing field who didn't declare an attack~"

"It's a good thing I only have one monster on my field then."

"Oh? Did I say it has to be on your field only?" The four blues had shocked looks on their faces as the other monsters on their field began to glow. "All four of you are my opponent. Therefore, I draw a card for Darkness Destroyer; Metal Devilzoa; Founder God-Bird, Simurgh; and Death Cyclone~"

"That's a total of four cards!" Alex happily added up.

" _Yes._ And since it's outside of my Draw Phase, Diabolos' effect cannot activate. But before that, I activate my Instant Magic, Early Performance~! With this effect, I will Special Summon Circus Freak Dancer from my deck~" The dancing performer appeared on her field in Defense.

 **Circus Freak Dancer: Level 2/DARK/Spellcaster/600 ATK/1200 DEF**

" _Now I draw~!_ " After shuffling her deck, Kohaku drew four more cards, bringing her hand to five cards.

"I'll end my turn then," Obelisk 4 said, gritting his teeth. "Just because you drew that many cards doesn't mean that you will win. You Osiris will do like you always will and lose to us Obelisk, whereas we Obelisk will win and have your cards as reward!"

The female Osiris only smiled at those words. "We won't lose. After all, _it's time for the Grand Finale~!_ " She looked around and saw a nearby light post.

"What's he doing?" Obelisk 2 asked, as they watched Kohaku run towards the pole, climbing up.

" _Hola~! Bonjour~! Hello everybody~!_ " the 'Circus Freak' duelist shouted, as she managed to stand at the very top. "Finally, after all this time, it's time for the final scene of this show~ My turn."

"Due to Diabolos' effect, you have to reveal that card before you draw it!" Obelisk 4 reminded. Kohaku did just that and revealed her next card to be Taming the Wild! "Don't know what that card does, but you can add that."

"In that case, draw~" Kohaku added her revealed card to her hand. "Now then, from my hand, I activate Circus Freak Ventriloquism's effect~! By discarding this card to the Graveyard, I am able to draw a card and reveal it! If the card is a monster, I can Special Summon it or add it to my hand. However, if it's a Magic or Trap card, that card can be activated immediately!"

"You're betting on luck? At a time like this?" Obelisk 1 questioned.

"You should know by now that against this army of strong monsters, anything you throw at us is useless," Obelisk 3 insulted.

"Hmm... Is that so? Then why don't we test that?" she challenged. "Let's go! Draw~!" After drawing her card, Kohaku revealed it. To everyone's shock, the card she drew was-

"Circus Freak Time Space Magician!" Alex gasped.

"No way!" the Obelisks shouted.

" _Lucky~_ Looks like the usual main star will be making his appearance after all~ Appear, the performer who can see through time and space~! Circus Freak Time Space Magician~!" The ace 'Circus Freak' appeared from the ray of light behind her, making a pose.

 **Circus Freak Time Space Magician: Level 7/DARK/Spellcaster/2500 ATK/2000 DEF**

"E-Even though you have your ace out, it's nothing against our monsters!" Obelisk 4 stuttered.

Kohaku jumped off the post. "Next, I summon Circus Freak Animal Trainer." Next to the high-leveled monster, standing on Kohaku's last monster zone, is a chimera humanoid monster in performer's clothes.

 **Circus Freak Animal Trainer: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/1800 ATK/1400 DEf**

The new monster jumped, catching its controller. "And now, I activate Team Performance~ Not only does a 'Circus Freak' monster targeted by this get 300 ATK for each Circus Counter on the field, they can make an additional attack for each 'Circus Freak' monster on the field~ The monster I'll be targeting is none other than-"

"Time Space Magician, right?"

" _No~_ " The boys were confused at Kohaku's answer. She was set on the ground. "Indeed, Time Space Magician is usually the main star of every show, however, today's star is someone different~ The monster gaining Team Performance's effect is Circus Freak Animal Trainer~ And with two counters on the field and five 'Circus Freak' monsters currently on today's show, that's plus 600 ATK with five attacks~" The chimera-like monster let out a roar as its attack was increased.

 **Circus Freak Animal Trainer: 1800 + 600 = 2400 ATK**

"But why would you...?" Alex asked. He wouldn't complete his question, not while seeing Kohaku's confident face. And it wasn't overconfident.

"Battle! Circus Freak Animal Trainer attacks Metal Devilzoa!" The boys now stared at her in great shock, mostly Alex.

"WAIT A SECOND! KOHAKU!" Alex tried to stop her and/or her monster from doing the attack, only for his call to be unheard.

"During the Battle Phase, I activate the Instant Magic, Taming the Beast!" the current turn-taker added. "When a Beast-type monster I control battles an opponent's monster, I draw a card. If the drawn card is a monster card, this card gains ATK equal to the monster it's battling! And while on the field, Animal Trainer is considered as a Spellcaster and a Beast-type!"

"Another gambling card!?" Obelisk 3 gasped.

"And an overkill card, combined with the Magic card he used earlier!" Obelisk 2 pointed out.

"Don't be ridiculous! There's no way he could get that lucky!" Obelisk 4 said.

"Why don't we test that?" Kohaku grinned. "Draw!" She revealed the card, making them gasp at the sight of it.

"No way... This can't be..." Obelisk 1 muttered.

"Circus Freak Beast Tamer. Monster card. Which means, Animal Trainer gains 3400 from Metal Devilzoa!" Midway of its attack, the chimera-human hybrid got bigger and bigger, until it looked like a full-grown 100% chimera in an entertainer's clothes.

 **Circus Freak Animal Trainer: 2400 + 3400 = 5800 ATK**

"Over 5000 ATK!?" the four Obelisks cried in great shock.

"Go~ Animal Trainer! **Full-Beast Attack~!** " The monster went and destroyed its first opponent.

 **Kohaku: 4000 LP**  
 **Alex: 2600 LP**  
 **Obelisk 1: 4000 LP**  
 **Obelisk 2: 0000 LP**  
 **Obelisk 3: 4000 LP**  
 **Obelisk 4: 4000 LP**

"One down, four to go! Attack Darkness Destroyer! **Full-Beast Attack 2!** " The chimera went for the monster not far from it and destroyed it as well.

 **Kohaku: 4000 LP**  
 **Alex: 2600 LP**  
 **Obelisk 1: 500 LP**  
 **Obelisk 3: 4000 LP**  
 **Obelisk 4: 4000 LP**

" **Full-Beast Attack 3!** On Founder God-Bird, Simurgh!" Another attack on the yellow bird.

 **Kohaku: 4000 LP**  
 **Alex: 2600 LP**  
 **Obelisk 1: 500 LP**  
 **Obelisk 3: 1100 LP**  
 **Obelisk 4: 4000 LP**

" **Full-Beast Attack 4** on Demon King Diabolos!" An attack on the DARK dragon monster.

 **Kohaku: 4000 LP**  
 **Alex: 2600 LP**  
 **Obelisk 1: 500 LP**  
 **Obelisk 3: 1100 LP**  
 **Obelisk 4: 1000 LP**

"Last attack! On Death Cyclone!" Alex now looked at Kohaku like she grew two heads.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?! CALL IT OFF!" It was already too late, for the reptile-figure cyclone was destroyed by the last hit.

 **Kohaku: 4000 LP**  
 **Alex: 2600 LP**  
 **Obelisk 1: 500 LP**  
 **Obelisk 3: 0000 LP**  
 **Obelisk 4: 1000 LP**

"You've activated Death Cyclone's special ability! All other monsters are destroyed!" Obelisk 3 declared. All of Kohaku and Alex's monsters were swallowed up by the typhoon and died. "Now that they're out of the way, you can't make another attack."

"Not that I can anyway. On the turn I activate Team Performance, I cannot attack with monsters other than the one affected by it," Kohaku said.

"But what are you going to do now? You have no monsters! That final declaration was a bluff!" Obelisk 1 shouted.

"No, it is the end. _At least, for part one._ " The guys were surprised at her new declaration. "Part two, also known as the final part of the _Grand Finale_ goes to my partner."

"Wait, me?" the male Osiris pointed at himself.

"Of course. Can't have all the spotlight to myself after all." Alex smiled at those words.

"Got it."

"That's if you will get that turn!" Obelisk 4 corrected.

"You may have gotten rid of our monsters but they will be back!" Obelisk 1 added. "My turn. Draw!" He drew his next card. "Here's what I mean. I activate Resurrection of the Dead! This allows me to Special Summon a monster from either player's Graveyard onto my field. And as good as my monster is, I got just the replacement for him. Come forth, Circus Freak Time Space Magician!" Kohaku's ace monster, instead of appearing on her field, appeared on Obelisk 1's field.

"Time Space Magician!" Kohaku called.

"I'm... sorry... my lady..." was all her Duel Spirit could say before he was completely under Obelisk 1's control.

"Hah! How does it feel? Being beaten by your own monster?" the turn-taker mocked.

"Monster! I can't believe you did that!" Alex shouted in anger.

"Whatever it takes to win. Now then, my new servant, attack your master! **Time-Spacial Stream Buster!** " At his order, the lone monster let out its attack onto Kohaku, who took and accepted the damage.

 **Kohaku: 1500 LP**  
 **Alex: 2600 LP**  
 **Obelisk 1: 500 LP**  
 **Obelisk 4: 1000 LP**

"I'll just end my turn here. So, how about you try and end it here, you Red Dropout?"

Alex, however, was conflicted. All his life, he treats his cards as though they were human. He, unlike most normal duelists, knows that Duel Monsters isn't a game. That they are real, just not in the world they live in. So to attack and destroy Kohaku's monster, the duelist who treated her monsters like friends, or even family for that matter, is just-

"Do it, Alex," the Entertainment Duelist broke her partner out of his thoughts.

"But-"

"Time Space Magician would never want this. If anything, he'd rather be non-existent than to be in the hands of others." He never thought he'd actually hear that from her mouth, but knew she was right.

"Got it. Leave it to me! My turn!" Alex drew out his next card. "Things are about to get wild here! I activate Painful Choice! Thanks to this card, I can choose five cards from my deck and reveal them to my opponent." Alex chose out four monsters and one magic card. "Once revealed, they can choose which card I keep, while the rest are sent to my Graveyard."

"In that case, Foolish Burial to hand," Obelisk 1 chose.

"And with that choice, I will activate it, sending a monster from my deck to my Graveyard. That monster is White Horns Dragon." After sending the tirst four monsters in his Graveyard slot, Alex added one more monster in.

"And what good would that do? Make you lose faster by deck out?" Obelisk 4 joked,. causing him and the rest of his friends to laugh.

"No. It would allow me this." They stopped laughing at the look of his smirk on his face. "Since I have exactly three DARK monsters in my Graveyard, I am able to Special Summon this card from my hand. Let's go, my dark partner! Dark Armed Dragon!" A black portal opened up from the ground between the two sides. Coming out was a black-armored dark-green dragon.

 **Dark Armed Dragon: Level 7/DARK/Dragon/2800 ATK/1000 DEF**

"D-D-D-..."

"Dark Armed Dragon!?" the already-lost Obelisks gasped at the sight before them.

"How?! How could-?!"

"And that's not all!" Alex continued, interrupting Obelisk 4's question. "When I have five or more LIGHT monsters with different names in my Graveyard, I am able to Special Summon this card from my hand. Meet the Light counterpart of the original! Lightray Diabolos!" A ray of light shone from above as a light version of Demon King Diabolos came flying down, taking its position next to Dark Armed Dragon.

 **Lightray Diabolos: Level 7/LIGHT/Dragon/2800 ATK/1000 DEF**

"There's a LIGHT attribute Diabolos?!" Obelisk 3 gasped in surprise and shock.

Kohaku whistled in amusement. " _Awesome_. You sure got some cards on you."

"Thank you. And now I will activate both their effects, **Darklight Destruction!** " Both dragons glowed in their attribute, as they began to use their special ability. "For Dark Armed Dragon, by banishing one DARK monster from my Graveyard, I can destroy one card on the field. That card is one of your face-downs! **Dark Armed Breaker!** " Dark Armed Dragon shot out its armor's blades, having them pierce through and destroy its target. "And with Diabolos' effect, by banishing one LIGHT monster from my Graveyard, I can look at one set card my opponent controls. Then, like the original Diabolos, I get to decide whether they go to the top or bottom of your deck. **Light Replacement!** " The LIGHT Diabolos shined brightly, forcing the card to reveal itself as Mirror Force and sending it away to the top of his deck.

"Like I said, part two of the _Grand Finale_ is all on Alex," Kohaku said.

"And he's right. And I'm not done yet! Instant Magic, Charge! This gives one of my monsters 700 more attack until the end of the turn it was used! i'll give it all to Diabolos!" The LIGHT dragon glowed again as it grew a couple of feet.

 **Lightray Diabolos: 2800 + 700 = 3500 ATK**

"Let's go! Diabolos attacks Time Space Magician! **Light Burst Stream!** " Alex's LIGHT monster let out a breath attack at the Spellcaster, destroying it and leaving it in peace, as well as taking out the rest of Obelisk 1's Life Points.

 **Kohaku: 1500 LP**  
 **Alex: 2600 LP**  
 **Obelisk 1: 0000 LP**  
 **Obelisk 4: 1000 LP**

"Dark Armed Dragon! Attack the last Obelisk directly! **Dark Armed Destroyer!** " His DARK monster's fist was covered in black flames and blades, bringing it down on the remaining Obelisk and ending the duel.

 **Kohaku: 1500 LP**  
 **Alex: 2600 LP**  
 **Obelisk 4: 0000 LP**

 **WINNER: KOHAKU AND ALEX!**

"All right! We did it!" Kohaku cheered.

"Sure did! It was a lot of fun!" Alex agreed.

Meanwhile, the four Obelisks only stared at the two in shock. None of them could believe that a pair of Osiris could beat a group of Obelisks. This has never happened before. Before they could say anything, a familiar voice spoke up.

"That was quite a duel." They turned and saw Asuka walking up to them. "You know, I actually thought you'd lose in this duel, Kohaku."

"Heh. Like this would keep me down. Besides, I had help," the 'Circus Freak' duelist replied.

"Yo," Alex greeted.

With the losing team, they couldn't believe how Obelisks' queen was so friendly with them. Not wanting to embarrass themselves any longer, they ran away.

"Hey! Don't forget your promise!" the Osiris duo shouted in unison. This surprised the both of them, until they just laughed it off.

"It's hard to believe that you two just met. At least that's what it seemed like at the beginning," Asuka said.

"You were here the whole time?" Kohaku asked.

"Only from when those jerks tried to take away your friend's card."

"They would never get it anyway. Not without a duel," Alex told her.

"But man that was some combo you did at the end~" the female Osiris complimented.

"It was nothing. Not compared to your risky and cool dueling style~" the male Osiris also complimented. From then on, those two became friends, along with Asuka.

* * *

 _ ***PRESENT DAY***_

"I still can't believe it though. We just met and yet, it's like we know each other for a long time, thinking it back now," Kohaku said, looking up at the sky.

"Yeah. Although, I can't help but feel like... maybe we have met..." Alex confessed.

"Really? Because if we did, I would've remembered."

"Yeah, you're right. Probably someone who looked like you." They both took a deep breath, enjoying the calm atmosphere.

"But other than that, can you believe what happened the other day? When Hayato's dad suddenly came?"

"I know. And that duel the day after. When I heard of the one-hit kill, I thought it meant one-turn knockout. But it was actually a kill in terms of cards."

"And let's not forget all of Hayato's dad's cards. You can tell he's obsessed with sake."

"Then again, it's kind of what he does. Though with those cards, it makes the duelist look more like all they do is drink themselves."

"Yep."

Some seconds of silence passed, and they once again enjoyed the atmosphere.

"So, another practice round?" the Light and Dark Duelist asked.

"As long as you actually go serious this time!" the 'Circus Freak' duelist instantly agreed.

" _Back at you!_ "


	6. Punishment Duel Part 1

**Coral: This may be the second longest chapter I've ever done.  
**

 **Aki: Still good record. Though there's something here that bothers me.**

 **Coral: Before you say what it is, a warning to all readers! There is a bit of blood in this story and murder! Do not call me sadist! If I was, I wouldn't be concerned about what you say or warned you about this chapter! So brace yourselves!**

 **Aki: You don't have to day it that loud.**

 **Coral: How else am I going to get the message through?!**

 **Aki: You didn't need to shout though.**

 **Coral: Still~ Anyway, if possible, try and enjoy this chapter. Especially one reader in particular, I hope this chapter won't affect you in many ways. You know who you are. Everyone else... If this chapter also affects you in a bad way, I am sorry!**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 ** _*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*_**

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

Today was finally the day. The day of Judai, Shou and Kohaku's punishment duels. It was also the day that Kohaku would reveal her true gender to the whole school.

"Today's finally the day, huh?" Kohaku asked her Spirit Partner.

"Indeed. Do you remember the plan?" Time Space Magician asked his duelist.

"You should know that I never forget a detail about this kind of thing."

"Of course."

"Yep. Now shoo; I need to change." The 'Circus Freak' monster spirit left the room, giving his master some privacy.

At the main dueling stadium, after the school day was over, all the students and teachers alike took their seats or just stood by the railings.

"So it starts at last..." Misawa thought out loud.

"A Tag Duel..." He looked and saw Asuka and Alex making their way over to him. "Judai may have said he had never been in one before."

"You're Tenjouin Asuka from Obelisk Blue and Alejandro Nagase from Osiris Red."

"That's right," Alex confirmed.

"It seems you somewhat have a connection to Judai as well," Asuka observed.

"Right," Misawa replied.

"It's my fault that this happened. And he should've been partnered with me. But even so, I have a feeling that he'll manage to pull through. Him and Kohaku."

"Speaking of, do any of you two know what happened to Kohaku?" Alex asked. "I walked by his room earlier to get him here, but he wasn't there. Not only that, his school uniform was on his bed..."

"Oh that? Well, you'll both see soon. Though with how well you get along with Kohaku, I thought you were told already."

"About what?"

"... Well, you'll see."

Judai and Shou both entered the arena.

"Wow! It sure is packed!" Judai exclaimed in excitement.

"We'll be dueling in front of all these people?" Shou asked.

"So let's put some fire into it!"

"Geez, come on, Big Bro."

"Hey, Hayato's here," Judai noticed.

Shou looked at the direction he was looking at. "You're right."

"Thank goodness... I made it in time..." Hayato muttered.

"Yo!" Judai waved.

"Well then, we will now begin the first Punishment Duel!" Chronos announced. "Fiore Kohaku to the field!" For some reason, however, Kohaku wasn't present. "I repeat, Fiore Kohaku to the field!"

"Big Bro, where's Kohaku?" Shou asked in a worried tone.

"Kohaku! Where are you?!" Judai shouted.

"If Fiore Kohaku doesn't show himself within five seconds, he will be disqualified and expelled!"

" _IT'S SHOWTIME~!_ " came a familiar voice, yet slightly different somehow. The lights in the room were suddenly turned off, leaving on a spotlight on one side of the room. They turned to the direction and saw one thing most of them couldn't believe. " _Hola~! Bonjour~! Hello, everybody~!_ Today's finally the day of the Punishment Duel~!"

Fiore Kohaku was in an acrobatic clothes. And they're female's. With how its hugging her body, it made it quite obvious, to their surprise, that Kohaku's actually a girl.

She jumped off the big speakers, making a huge dive to the floor. Some people looked away, not wanting to witness someone's death. Instead of awaiting death, Kohaku activated her duel disk and summoned Circus Freak Trampoline. Not only did it break her fall, she managed to jump to her spot on the arena. Everyone broke into an applaud at her stunt.

" _Thank you~! Thank you very much~!_ " she waved to the crowd. The lights went back on.

" _Na no ne_?! S-Signore Fiore! You're a girl?!" Chronos asked.

"Huh? You mean you didn't know? I thought all teachers already know about my gender."

"Oh, that's what I forgot to mention the other day," Samejima spoke in realization.

"You knew, Principal?!" the male Obelisk Headmaster asked.

"Yes. In fact, with how the rest were reacting, I thought I already announced it."

"Woman's intuition," female Obelisk's Headmaster, Emi Ayukawa, explained how she found out.

"I wondered why she always wake up early for showers and assumed-nya," Daitokuji explained his reason.

"I kind of met her before she transferred to this school," Kabayama, Ra Yellow's Headmaster explained his.

Chronos was in huge shock that he was the only teacher/Headmaster who didn't know Kohaku's real gender up til now.

"So, who's my opponent?" the student in question asked, breaking him out of his shock.

"Yes. Will Kohaku be facing a teacher or an Obelisk student?" Samejima also asked. "Or could you be the one dealing these things again?"

"Not quite. We are having this duel to deliberate their punishment for breaking school rules entering the off-limit zone. And so, the opponents must be appropriate for the task. Now then, for Signore- I mean, Signora Fiore's opponent is-"

The lights were off once again, only this time with the spotlight on the other side of the dueling platform. Before anyone could ask what happened, dark smoke suddenly sprung from the ground in the spotlight. The smoke cleared and revealed a man in a red suit, wearing a big black and blue bow tie, same colored mask and a red top hat with blue and black stripes.

"Pandora the Conjurer!" Chronos introduced, as the lights went back on.

"Pandora?!" Misawa repeated.

"Not good at all," Hayato muttered, taking a seat on the other side of him.

"He was said to be the one other person who uses Dark Magician, besides the King of Games, Muto Yugi," Asuka recalled.

"Now I am worried for Kohaku's sake..." Alex said.

"Big Bro... Will Kohaku be okay? I heard that Pandora was one of the people who was a Dark Duelist," Shou whispered to his partner.

"Kohaku will be okay. Besides, the Games of Darkness doesn't exist," Judai assured.

"Oh? I'm going to enjoy this," Manjoume said, disregarding the fact that one of the people he despised is a girl. Why would he despise her? Let's just say... she made a fool out of more than enough Obelisks, it made him quite angry that Elites were beaten by a laid-back, reckless, Osiris duelist.

"Hmm. So you are my opponent?" Pandora asked.

"And what if I am?" Kohaku asked back.

"No reason. Just have a small feeling like I've seen someone like you."

"Don't know who that person is, don't care. I'm not letting anything get in the way of my dueling style."

"Yes. Of what I heard, you love to entertain the audience. Just so happens that I do as well, though in a different manner."

"Chronos..." the Principal called. "Out of all people you called, why must it be a Ghoul?"

"Don't worry. Pandora had changed his ways, so he is okay- _no ne,_ " Chronos answered. He turned back at the two duelists. "Both of you, shuffle the other's decks." They both walked to the middle of the field and shuffled each other's deck. After shuffling, they returned each other's deck and walked back to their position. "Now then, the rules will be the same, only you will both be starting with 8000 Life Points. Is that clear- _no ne_?"

"It's okay with me," Kohaku agreed.

"Same here," Pandora followed. "But before we start, why don't we make things more interesting?" He took off his bow tie and took out what seemed to be a gold pendant. The one certain characteristic about the pendant caught Kohaku's eyes.

"That can't be! There shouldn't be any more of those!" she shouted in shock.

"But it is," Pandora smirked. "Let's make this a Game of Darkness!" The pendant glowed and purple flames came out of nowhere and surrounded the two duelists.

"Game of Darkness?!" Shou repeated in shock.

"What are you saying? It has to be a trick. Like that guy Kohaku beat," Judai protested.

"It is no trick, boy. Now that the Game of Darkness has begun, I will take great pleasure in making your friend here suffer!" the former, or not so former, Ghoul cackled.

"A real Game of Darkness?!" Hayato gasped.

"That's crazy! Kohaku's not dueling for her stay here anymore; she's going to duel for her life!" Misawa exclaimed.

"This isn't good," Asuka said, worried for her friend.

"Kohaku... Good luck," Alex could only say.

"There's no way it exists," Manjoume said, not believing a single detail of what Pandora said. "Though he's really making that dropout girl tremble." It was true, when the flames came, Kohaku couldn't help but stare at the flames in shock and... fear?

From the stands, Shou's older brother, otherwise known as the Kaiser of Duel Academia, Marufuji Ryo, also looked at the duel in shock, though he still had on his poker face.

"Chronos!" Samejima shouted in disappointment.

"What- _no ne_?! I didn't know this would happen! Honest- _na no ne_!" the male Obelisk Headmaster panicked.

' _I thought all those rumors about the Games of Darkness were just rumors! I never thought they were actually real!_ ' he thought.

"What's wrong girl? Scared? Don't worry; I'll make sure your death will be quick and painless~" Pandora snickered.

"Purple flames... This couldn't be..." Kohaku muttered, not hearing a word from other people.

"Hey hey. Are we going to duel or what?" At the mention that she was in a duel, Kohaku broke out of her trance.

"DUEL!"

 **Pandora: 8000 LP  
** **Kohaku: 8000 LP**

"I'll take the first turn," the Dark Duelist said, drawing his sixth card. "I activate Name Reasoning. My opponent calls on a monster level. I send cards from the top of my deck to the Graveyard until I reach a monster that can be Normal Summoned. If the level they call is the right one, I send the monster to the Graveyard. However, if they call it wrong, I am able to Special Summon that monster."

"Kohaku's got one chance out of twelve. Knowing her luck, she should be able to call on the right card," Hayato said.

"If only it works that way," Asuka said, confusing him.

"It's one thing to be lucky with your own deck but..." Misawa began to explain.

"With someone else's deck, it's not that easy at all," Alex finished.

"... Level... 4" Kohaku declared.

Pandora revealed the first card, which was a trap card. Sending that to the Grave, he revealed his next card, which was a Magic card. After sending that, he revealed the next card. It was a monster, but not a level 4.

"No way!"

"But it is. From my deck, I Special Summon Black Magician!" On Pandora's field was a green-skinned blonde man in a purple robe.

 **Black Magician: Level 7/DARK/Spellcaster/2500 ATK/2100 DEF**

"I'm not done yet. From my hand I activate Ancient Rule. This allows me to Special Summon a Level 5 or higher Normal Monster from my hand. Come out, Black Magician!"

"Two Black Magician!?" the female Osiris gasped, as another Black Magician in a red robe appeared next to the first Black Magician.

"And I'm not done yet. I activate Ante Match from my hand. Both players reveal 1 card from their hand. The revealed card with the lower level is sent to the Graveyard and the person who sent that card takes 1000 damage," Pandora continued, picking out a card from his hand. "Well? Choose a card from your hand."

Kohaku looked at her hand. ' _Time Space Magician is not in my hand. My highest level monster is 4. In my hand My only Level 4 monster is Circus Freak Animal Trainer. I have a bad feeling about the card he chose but... There's no choice._ ' She took out her monster card.

"I reveal Circus Freak Animal Trainer, Level 4!" she exclaimed.

"Hmm... How sad..." Pandora said in response. That moment, Kohaku sighed in relief. "For you that is!" He revealed his card to be yet another Black Magician.

"A third?!"

"Now send your card to the Graveyard." The 'Circus Freak' duelist reluctantly sent her monster in her Graveyard Slot. "And take 1000 points of damage!" The purple flames near Kohaku suddenly shot out and burned her, causing her to scream in pain.

 **Pandora: 8000 LP  
** **Kohaku: 7000 LP**

"Kohaku!" her friends cried in worry.

"Oi! Are you okay?!" Judai called.

"I-... I'm fine..." she answered.

"Not for long. I end my turn," the 'Black Magician' duelist ended.

"My turn. Draw." Kohaku drew her next card. " _The show has just begun!_ From my hand, I activate Early Performance! This Instant Magic allows me to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower 'Circus Freak' monster from my hand or deck. From my deck, I Special Summon Circus Freak Contact Juggler!" The object-manipulator monkey came onto her field.

 **Circus Freak Contact Juggler: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/0 ATK/2000 DEF**

"Then I summon Circus Freak Stilt Walker!" The short stilt-walking monster appeared next to its ally.

 **Circus Freak Stilt Walker: Level 2/DARK/Spellcaster/800 ATK/1600 DEF**

"I end my turn with two face-downs."

"My turn then. Draw." He made a gesture to draw a card. "Or so you thought. From my Graveyard, I activate my Magic Card, Magic Blast. During my Draw Phase, instead of drawing a card, I could add this card from my Graveyard to my hand during my Draw Phase." He added the said card to his hand. "Then I tribute one of my Black Magician to Special Summon Black Executioner from my hand!" One of his Black Magicians seemed to have changed his attire and staff.

 **Black Executioner: Level 7/DARK/Spellcaster/2500 ATK/2100 DEF**

"I don't like where this is going," the 'Circus Freak' duelist stated.

"But I do~ I activate Pot of Greed from my hand. This allows me to draw two cards." Pandora drew two more cards. "And by the way, Black Execution's special ability. When a Normal Spell card is activated, my opponent takes 1000 damage!" Everyone gasped at the info. "Speaking of, here! Take the 1000!" Pandora's monster shot out purple lightning at Kohaku. She screamed in even greater pain, compared to the last hit.

 **Pandora: 8000 LP  
** **Kohaku: 6000 LP**

"Then I activate Resurrection of the Dead, bringing back my Black Magician!" One of Pandora's magicians returned to the field. "And because I used a Normal Magic, you take another 1000!" Black Executioner let out another purple lightning at Kohaku, who once again screamed in great pain and now just barely standing on her feet.

 **Pandora: 8000 LP  
** **Kohaku: 5000 LP**

"Oh, what's wrong? Don't tell me you're already done. As you said earlier, _the show has just begun!_ I activate the Equip Magic, Curse Charm. You will know its ability soon enough. For now, I'll equip this card to your Contact Juggler." A scroll of some kind with dark aura appeared in Contact Juggler's hand.

' _Why would he equip his card to my monster?_ ' the female duelist couldn't help but wonder.

"Because it wasn't a Normal Magic card I used, Black Executioner's effect doesn't activate. However, I activate Magic Blast! A Normal Magic that deals 200 damage to my opponent for each Spellcaster-type monster I control! I have three one my field! That's 600 plus 1000 points from Black Executioner!" Kohaku's eyes widened as all three Spellcasters shot out their lightning and energy balls at her. Taking so much damage non-stop, it became too difficult for her to stay on her feet.

 **Pandora: 8000 LP  
** **Kohaku: 3400 LP**

"Glad... we started with... 8000..." she managed to get out.

"But you won't live long enough to see the next minute!" Pandora told her. "I'll have Black Magician attack your Contact Juggler! **Black Magic!** "

"Contact Juggler's monster effect! When targeted for an attack, I send the top card of my deck to the Graveyard and negate the attack! Then a Circus Counter is put on him! **Contact Manipulator!** "

"Huh?!" Kohaku sent the top card of her deck to her grave, having Contact Juggler send Black Magician's magic attack away from him.

"The card sent to the grave just now... was Circus Freak Flame Archer! When sent to the graveyard, in any way, my opponent takes 1000 points of damage! **Blaze Arrow!** " An image of her archer 'Circus Freak' appeared behind her as it took aim and took away some of Pandora's Life.

 **Pandora: 7000 LP  
** **Kohaku: 3400 LP**

"How's that?"

Pandora stood there, not moving a muscle. When he raised his head, his reaction was one that was the most unexpected. "How refreshing~"

"Refreshing?!"

"Of course~ What kind of person would I be if I enjoy giving pain and yet be scared of getting it myself~?"

"You actually like it?! You're mad!"

"That I am~! And am proud of actually~! Enough dilly-dallying. My other Black Magician attacks Contact Juggler! **Black Magic!** "

"Contact Juggler's special ability only works once per turn. So it can't be used again," Kohaku explained, as her monster got destroyed. Just when it was destroyed, a shadow-figurine of her destroyed monster appeared before her and stuck her like a fire arrow. To make matters worse, the shadow arrow struck her near her heart. Even more worse, as soon as the shadow disappeared, a hole was formed on her chest, blood leaking out.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she shrieked... No, not even shriek can be used to described the pain she felt.

"KOHAKU!" her friends cried out. Some other students looked away, or even ran out the stadium, not wanting to see or hear anymore of the duel. The teachers watched in deep concern. In fact, a few actually tried to interfere or stop the duel themselves, along with Judai and, surprisingly, Shou, only for them all to be forced back.

"Wha-... What...?" Kohaku tried to speak, lying on the ground, holding onto her wound.

"What happened? Curse Charm happened," the sadist duelist began to explain. "If the monster equipped to it is destroyed and that card is sent to the Graveyard, the controller of the monster once equipped to it takes damage equal to its original DEF. Your monster's DEF was 2000, so that was 2000 damage to you~"

 **Pandora: 7000 LP  
** **Kohaku: 1400 LP**

"Now for the end~! Black Executioner attacks Stilt Walker! **Black Execution!** " The last spellcaster let out some deadly lightning attack at Kohaku's Attack Position monster.

"KOHAKU! LOOK OUT!" Alex shouted.

Just before the attack can hit, the targeted monster switched its Battle Position, just managing to avoid destruction.

"What's this?!" Pandora demanded.

"Stilt Walker's... effect... When attacked... while in Attack Position... the attack can be... negated by... changing the Battle Position... to Defense... then a counter is gained..." the barely alive duelist explained, as her monster's sticks were now made of plastic.

"Tch. So you managed to avoid death. Well, congratulations. You get to live another minute after all. But next turn is all over for you."

"My turn... D-..." Before Kohaku could draw her hand, her right arm went limp and she just lied there... not moving...

"Kohaku?" Shou dared to call.

"Kohaku! Oi! Get a grip!" Judai shouted.

Everyone else in the stand just stared at the duel in shock. Someone... had actually died...

"No way..." Hayato let out.

"Kohaku..." Asuka looked away, as tears dared to form from her eyes.

"This... can't be..." Misawa said.

The only one who isn't accepting this is Alex, who looked more like he's in rage.

"Oh? Are you giving up? Well, I feel like a nice person for this duel~ I'll give you five minutes. If you can make a move til then, the duel will continue. Otherwise... I don't think it's necessary for me to continue, is it~?" Pandora smirked.

"..." Silence only came from the 'Circus Freak' duelist, who still hasn't moved a finger.

"... WHAT ARE YOU DOING, KOHAKU?!" Alex shouted from his seat. "STAND, KOHAKU! DON'T YOU DARE LOSE AND DIE!" His words were only met with silence.

"Alex... It's no use..." Asuka tried to reason.

"NO! I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THIS! KOHAKU! YOU PROMISED ME! YOU PROMISED THAT AFTER YOU WIN THIS DUEL, WE WOULD DUEL AGAIN WITH EVERYTHING WE GOT! ALL THOSE DUELS WE HAD BEFORE THIS, WE DIDN'T GET SERIOUS EVEN ONCE! SO DON'T JUST DIE ON ME, KOHAKU! Because you're... YOU WERE MY FIRST REAL FRIEND! YOU WERE THE FIRST PERSON WHO UNDERSTAND ME BESIDES MY PARENTS AND PEGASUS! YOU WERE THE ONLY PERSON WHO I KNOW WOULD ONLY DUEL FOR FUN FOR BOTH YOU AND YOUR OPPONENTS! NOT JUST FOR THE WIN! YOU ONCE TOLD ME THAT YOU WANT TO SPREAD THE WORLD WITH SMILES BY DUELING! YOU CAN'T DO THAT IF YOU DIE!"

By some miracle, life was returning to Kohaku's body as she opened her almost lifeless eyes.

"A... lex..." she whispered so softly.

"He's right, Kohaku!" came Judai's voice. "You haven't even dueled me yet! If you lose here, how are we going to duel?! Also, how would we explain to your parents if they find out you died and how it happened?! Stand! Stand and duel!"

"Ju... dai..."

Eventually, all her friends were cheering her on to stand and continue dueling. Then it became her dorm, to Ra Yellow, to some Obelisk Blues.

"How noisy." Pandora then had a look of sudden realization. "Oh! Now I remember! It's been bothering me for quite a while, but now I know why your face seems so familiar." Kohaku's attention was on him. "It takes me back to some years ago. I was dueling someone back in Dubai after I was let out of prison. Of course, it was with the Game of Darkness. I was about to kill him, when a girl with a face exactly like your's came and summoned a monster, interfering with the duel. My powers weren't complete that time, so it was possible to interfere that time. And not only that, but that girl's monster was no hologram; it was real. I thought it was just my imagination, but then that monster actually made a deep footprints and did some real life damage. The girl wanted to help the duelist, but he only saw her as she was seen by others; a monster~" Kohaku's eyes widened as each and every piece of information was shared. "Then out of fear, the guy surrendered, resulting in his death in the process as well as ending the duel. I would've wanted to duel the girl next, but there were sirens and I didn't want to get caught again. So I escaped, and have the girl take the blame for the murder~" Her fist clenched. "What's even more exciting was that she was called for an execution the day after~ It was exciting, watching the little monster died, so I managed to sneak my way in and get a front row seat in watching the monster getting slayed. It was especially entertaining to hear another girl's voice plead for the monster's life~ Though what annoyed me that day was how the monster smiled as if she expected her death to like that on that very day. That just took away most of the excitement. Really, that brat was-" His words were cut off, as a fist was slammed onto the floor, loud enough for the whole stadium to hear.

Everyone turned to the source and, to their shock and surprise, Kohaku was back on her feet, her fist on the floor indicating that she was the one who made that loud slam.

"Dubai... Few years ago... Girl with my face... Accused for murder... Smiling when she accepted death..." She lifted her fist off the floor, and everyone can faintly see a fist-mark there. "I knew it... All this time... I knew she had nothing to do with it... And now... I have the real murderer right in front of me..."

"Huh?"

"You... can say whatever you want about me... but I will never forgive you..."

"For what?"

"Dead or alive... I won't ever forgive you... FOR INSULTING MY SISTER! AND MAKING HER TAKE THE BLAME FOR MURDER!" The crowd was speechless at the anger radiating from her. "I knew... This whole time... She had nothing to do with that guy's death! And now that I know that the real murderer of both that duelist and my sister is right in front of me... I WILL MAKE YOU PAY! DRAW!" Kohaku drew her next card. "I activate my Continuous Trap card, Redo! This allows me to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower 'Circus Freak' monster from my Graveyard! I choose Flame Archer!" The archer of the 'Circus Freak' archtype appeared onto the field.

 **Circus Freak Flame Archer: Level 2/DARK/Spellcaster/1000 ATK/800 DEF**

"Now I release him and Stilt Walker to Advance Summon Circus Freak Time Space Magician from my hand!" In place of both those monsters, Kohaku's ace monster appeared before them.

 **Circus Freak Time Space Magician: Level 7/DARK/Spellcaster/2500 ATK/2000 DEF**

"Flame Archer's monster effect! You take another 1000 damage! **Blaze Arrow!** " Her monster's image once again appeared and shot a fire arrow at Pandora.

 **Pandora: 6000 LP  
** **Kohaku: 1400 LP**

"And Time Space Magician's monster effect, when Advance Summoned, Circus Counters from monsters used to summon him goes to him! There's only one, but that's all I need!" A small orb of light appeared and floated around the orb on Time Space Magician's staff. "Next since I have a 'Circus Freak' monster on my field, I special Summon Circus Freak Assistant from my hand!" The clown appeared next to the high level monster in Defense position.

 **Circus Freak Assistant: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1000 ATK/1000 DEF**

"And with his effect, I draw a card for every empty monster zone! On my field there are three! On your's there are two! That's five in total!" Kohaku drew five cards, bringing her hand up to seven. "Next Circus Freak Ventriloquism's effect from my hand! By sending this card to the Grave, I draw a card. If the card drawn is a monster, it's Special Summoned or kept in my hand, however, if it's a Magic or Trap card, it's instantly activated!" She drew her card and revealed it to be- "Circus Freak Puppeteer! In defense mode!" The puppet-like monster appeared onto the field as well.

 **Circus Freak Puppeteer: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/1900 ATK/0 DEF**

"And with its effect, I can take control of one of your monsters until the End Phase! Come over here, Black Magician!" One of the two called Spellcasters switched sides.

"My Magician! Is what I want to say, but what exactly are you planning?" Pandora asked, as if challenging her to attack.

"I activate Team Performance! This gives a 'Circus Freak' monster I control 300 ATK for each Circus Counter on the field! There's only one! That's more than enough for Time Space Magician!" Said monster had its power raised by the effect.

 **Circus Freak Time Space Magician: 2500 + 300 = 2800**

"But you take damage for using a Normal Spell!" Pandora's effect monster shot out more lightning at Kohaku, who withstood it that time.

 **Pandora: 6000 LP  
** **Kohaku: 400 LP**

"You should've took control over Black Executioner!"

"I don't care! What you're about to get is much worse than the pain you've caused! Time Space Magician can also attack a number of times equal to the number of 'Circus Freak' monsters on the field!" That surprised the magician. "Time Space Magician! Attack Black Executioner with **Time-Spacial Stream Buster!** " Her monster, a bit reluctantly, used its signature move on its target.

 **Pandora: 5700 LP  
** **Kohaku: 400 LP**

"Once more! On Black Magician! **Time-Spacial Stream Buster 2!** " Her monster attacked and destroyed another Spellcaster.

 **Pandora: 5400 LP  
** **Kohaku: 400 LP**

"Last attack! Attack the player directly!" Time Space Magician once again reluctantly attacked, this time at Pandora himself.

 **Pandora: 2600 LP  
** **Kohaku: 400 LP**

"I end my turn. At this time, Black Magician returns to you and Time Space Magician's ATK is back to normal." The monster and stat did as said. "Now how does it feel? To feel all that pain!?"

Silence met. She assumed that the assault was enough to break Pandora's will to keep dueling. The female Osiris was proven wrong as the sadistic duelist just let out a loud laugh, as though those attacks were nothing but games still.

"This is it~! This is what I want~! An actual duel to death~!" That last sentence was enough to bring Kohaku back to reality, as she realized that the way she dueled that turn, wasn't the same style that she believed in, or even close to it. "I never thought that I'd have such duel again~! Not since Mutou Yugi beat me! Let me enjoy this even more~! Draw!" Pandora drew his next card. "I activate Life-Shaving Treasure Cards! This lets me draw until I have five cards in my hand. On my fifth Stand-by Phase after using this, however, I must discard my whole hand." Pandora drew until he has five cards. "I activate Reincarnation of the Dead! This lets me add a monster to my hand as long as I discard a card from my hand! I discard a card and add Black Executioner to my hand! Then by sending Black Magician to my Graveyard, I Special Summon him!" His lone Magician went into its Effect Monster mode. "Now, all that's left is activating a Normal Magic card. And would you look at this? I have one!" The audience gasped at those words. "Cup of Ace! I toss a coin. Heads, I draw two cards. Tails, you draw. Not that it matters anymore~" He tossed a coin, which revealed to be tails. "Tails. But that doesn't matter because you lose!" Black Executioner fired its lightning attack again. Kohaku's friends all stood and tried to force their way over to her, in an attempt to save her from the upcoming attack.

Meanwhile, while Pandora was taking his turn, Kohaku didn't hear a word and just stared down at herself.

' _What... did I just do?_ ' she wondered. ' _That dueling style just now... That wasn't me... That wasn't the style I believed in... How could I have...?_ '

' _Big sister!_ ' came a voice. One familiar to her. ' _Are you worrying about me again?_ '

* * *

 _ ***FLASHBACK***_

"Can't I worry about my little sister?" asked a younger Kohaku.

"Sorry," a girl who looked exactly like her apologized.

"You have nothing to sorry for. It's not your fault your powers are stronger than mine. All I can to is talk to them and make them real enough to do stunts with me."

"That's the point. Your power limits to there, mine on the other hand, goes as far as to be destructive." There was sadness in the tone the younger sister was using. Young Kohaku caught on to that feeling. The sister noticed what she said and put on a fake yet pure smile. "Sorry, I said something weird."

She was taken by surprise as Young Kohaku gave her a hug. "You're not a burden to me. It's my job as the older twin to look over the younger twin. If anyone bullies you, tell me. I'll teach them a lesson!"

"... I don't want you to do that though." Young Kohaku was taken aback at those words. "Because if you do that, you won't be the sister I know and admired. If anything, I'm happy enough if you just keep up with entertaining the audience watching our family circus, performing with me, and being carefree and laid-back."

"Is that last part suppose to be a good-point?"

"To me it is. After all, that's what makes you the best sister ever! Having a sister who always worries about me is tiring and annoying, so keep being carefree and laid-back!"

* * *

 _ ***END OF FLASHBACK***_

' _That's right... How could I have forgotten? What was I thinking? This whole time, I was so into revenge, I forgot that she likes me better if I just be me. She wouldn't... She wouldn't want me to worry about her or take revenge. I was so stupid..._ '

"KOHAKU!" Her friends cry brought her out of her thoughts, as she saw the oncoming lightning attack making its way towards her.

"From my hand I activate Circus Freak Flame Artist's monster effect!" she countered. "If a card effect activates that would inflict damage onto me, I can Special Summon this card and negate that damage!" A chubby performer appeared and blew flames at the oncoming attack, blocking it.

 **Circus Freak Flame Artist: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/1600 ATK/1400 DEF**

"What?!" Pandora gasped in shock, as everyone else sighed in relief.

"Due to Cup of Ace's effect, I draw two cards, right? Draw!" She drew two more cards.

"So what if you can. I activate Hand Severing! Each player sends four cards from their hand to the Graveyard and draw four cards!" They both discarded four random cards and drew four cards. "I now activate Black Hole! Not only does all our monsters get destroyed, since this is a Normal Magic, you take 1000 and die!" Another round of lightning came from Black Executioner, only for it to be blocked by Flame Artist. "What's this?!"

"The turn Flame Artist is summoned by its own effect, I won't take any more effect damage!" Kohaku announced, as all their monsters got destroyed. "You're out of luck and tricks."

"Don't get ahead of yourself! I set two cards face-down and end my turn! One turn. That's all I need, and you will be gone!"

"I don't think so! Draw!" Kohaku drew her next card. " _Hola~! Bonjour~! Hello everybody~!_ After such a deadly battle, the climax of this show has finally begun~!" The whole audience was silent at that declaration. Soon enough, it became a roar of cheers.

"There's no way you could defeat me!"

"No, it's possible! First I activate my Field Magic, Circus Show!" The flames died down as the arena changed into a circus. "I now summon Circus Freak Beast Tamer in Attack Mode!" The lion-man hybrid performer appeared on her field.

 **Circus Freak Beast Tamer: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1700 ATK/1500 DEF**

"And it's gone! Trap card, Pitfall! If my opponent summons a monster with 1000 or more ATK points, that monster is destroyed!" A hole appeared from under the just summoned monster as it tried to move away, only to fail and fall.

"... That's just what I want!" Kohaku admitted, much to her opponent's confusion. "I activate the Instant Magic, Grand Act! This allows me to banish monsters from my Graveyard to Fusion Summon a Fusion monster who used those cards as Fusion Materials!"

"What?!" Pandora was in complete shock now.

"Kohaku can Fusion Summon?!" Asuka asked.

"And from her Graveyard too!" Misawa added.

"No way!" Shou shouted.

"Awesome!" Judai exclaimed.

"The monsters I'm banishing are Circus Freak Time Space Magician and Circus Freak Contact Juggler!" Kohaku continued. "Performer that controls time and space, become one with the object-manipulator, and become the new light that vanquishes the evil darkness! Fusion Summon! Appear now, arcane magician with ancient power! Circus Freak Rune Magician!" Now on her field is a cyan magician equipped with a long monk staff with some ancient linings all over his clothes.

 **Circus Freak Rune Magician: Level 8/DARK/Spellcaster/3000 ATK/2200 DEF**

"This... can't be... A monster with 3000 ATK!?" Pandora panicked.

"Not so fun now, is it?"

"I won't lose! Not until I beat Mutou Yugi! Trap Card open! Call of the Haunted! With this card, I can call back my Black Magician!" His magician returned to the field. "Now you can't beat me!"

"True. _But it was already time for the Grand Finale!_ " the 'Circus Freak' duelist once again declared. "Firstly, Circus Show's effect! Each time a 'Circus Freak' monster has been summoned, a Circus Counter is gained, and for each counter on this card, my opponent's monsters loses 200 ATK for each counter! There are now two Circus Counters! Which means Black Magician lost 400 ATK!" Said monster's face was covered in white powder and, in place of his robes, a jumpsuit was on him.

 **Black Magician: 2500 - 400 = 2100 ATK**

"Secondly, Grand Act's secondary effect! Monsters Fusion Summoned by this card's effect gains 400 ATK for each of its Fusion Materials! I used two Fusion Materials for Rune Magician, so that's 800 more ATK points!" Kohaku's new monster glowed a blue aura, gaining power from the Instant Magic card.

 **Circus Freak Rune Magician: 3000 + 800 = 3800 ATK**

"Lastly, Circus Freak Rune Magician is able to make multiple attacks depending on the total level of Spellcasters used to Fusion Summon this card, excluding Time Space Magician!"

"WHAT?!"

"Rune Magician was Fusion Summoned!" Judai said.

"Contact Juggler's level was four!" Shou added.

"With level of four or lower, he can make 2 attacks!" the owner of the Fusion monster informed. " _Let's go!_ Circus Freak Rune Magician! Attack Black Magician and Pandora with **Repeated Ancient Light Blaster!** " At her command, the new monster let out two light blasts at both its targets, ending the duel at last.

 **Pandora: 0000 LP  
** **Kohaku: 400 LP**

 **WINNER: KOHAKU!**

The field returned to normal, indicating that the duel came to an end.

"Somehow... I... won..." was all Kohaku said before blacking out.

"Kohaku!" Judai called as he and Shou made their way over to their fallen friend.

"Kohaku! Are you okay?!" Shou asked a stupid question.

Immediately, medics came and brought the female Osiris onto the stretcher, following Emi to the island's infirmary.

"Will she be all right?!" Hayato asked, as he, Misawa, Asuka and Alex made their way over to them.

"With the amount of time she had that wound on her chest, and her stubbornness, it's actually hard to say," Samejima sadly answered. "And with how things are, we have to postpone the Tag Duel. As for you, Chronos..." Called teacher flinched. "I would like to have a long chat with you. In my office. Alone. Now." Reluctantly, Chronos followed Samejima out of the stadium.

"Now what do we do?" Judai asked.

"I say we should check on Kohaku. With that kind of injury that she's been holding out, she needs our support," Alex suggested.

"I agree," Asuka nodded. With that in mind, they went to check on their friend.


	7. Punishment Duel Part 2

**Coral: Before reading this, I did some re-editing on last chapter's duel. Mainly because of some error in Life Points and card effects that you readers may have not caught up on. If you do not wish to re-read it, I understand. It doesn't change the fact that Kohaku won the duel anyway.  
**

 **Aki: You just realized that error now?**

 **Coral: Hey, I did an all-nighter on that chapter! Do you really expect me to notice the error after finishing a chapter at around 4:00 in the morning?!**

 **Aki: Okay, I can see your point.**

 **Coral: Yep. So then readers, this chapter may as well be the actual longest I've ever done... EVER! So please, take your time and enjoy~!**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 ** _*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*_**

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

Judai and the others rushed to the infirmary, all wanting to see Kohaku and how she's doing. Of course, taking all those damages from the Game of Darkness, normal people would've died, like how Kohaku almost did. Seeing how she managed to stand back up after taking over 6000 worth of Game of Darkness damage and withstand another 1000 damage, though, it may be possible that she would still live.

Meanwhile, at the infirmary, Eri, along with other doctors and nurses, somehow managed to save Kohaku from death. Currently, the female Headmaster is right at the Osiris' bed side. When you look at the young duelist, her injuries aren't as bad as you think, if it wasn't for how heavily the bandage around her chest is and the oxygen mask on her face. The heart monitor showed its slow, yet constant, beeping.

Just then, the infirmary door slammed open, surprising the young adult. Eri turned and saw Judai, Shou, Asuka, Misawa, Hayato and Alex, panting by the doorway. The group had worried looks on their faces as they saw Kohaku's condition.

"How's Kohaku?" Asuka asked her Headmaster.

"I did everything I could, but good news is that she's stabilized. With her recovery rate, I'd say she'll wake in a couple of days."

"That's a relief..." Alex sighed.

"It's a miracle how she won and lived," Hayato said.

"Even so, to think that she has a sister," Misawa brought up.

Everyone was silent at that reminder.

"She lost her twin at a young age. That's worse than me knowing that my brother just disappeared," Asuka said.

"Now that I think about, I did hear her saying about how she envies you, Asuka," Alex told the Obelisk. "Back then, I didn't know why she would say that, but now I know what she meant. You know your brother longer than she does with her own twin."

' _And it would also explain why I had a feeling like I met her before,_ ' Alex mentally continued. ' _I met her twin sister._ '

"Not only that, she died because she was accused of something that she didn't..." Judai added.

"I heard that twins can sense how each other are feeling. So the moment when Kohaku's sister died, it must've had a bigger impact than we thought, if it went as far as to have her get revenge," Shou said.

"But still, I can't believe she can use Fusion Summon!" Judai changed the subject and mood. "And the way she did the Fusion is too cool! How did it go? 'Performer that controls time and space, become one with the object-manipulator, and become the new light that vanquishes the evil darkness!' Man that was awesome!" He then had a face of realization. "That's right! Shou, Hayato, Asuka! We should try doing the Fusion Summon her way!"

Knowing that he was only suggesting that to forget about the life-threatening duel that Kohaku had, the three Fusion users nodded and, along with Misawa and Alex, left the room.

"I'll call you if something comes up!" Eri told them.

"Okay!"

Some time later, Eri left the room. Just after she left, someone else entered the room and walked over to Kohaku's bed side. The new person activated his/her duel disk and summoned a monster. One thing about the monster was that it didn't seem like a hologram at all.

* * *

 _ ***LATER***_

"I fuse Elemental Hero Featherman and Elemental Hero Burstlady! Hero that allies himself with the wind, become one with the hero that allies herself with fire and give birth to a new storm! Fusion Summon! Appear, hero that controls flame and wind alike! Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!" Judai chanted, summoning his favorite card. "Yes! That sounds perfect! I end my turn here!"

"My turn then. Draw," Asuka drew her next card. "Using your Fusion Gate''s special ability, I banish Etoile Cyber and Blade Skater and fuse them! Elegant ballerina, combine with the ballerina of blades and give birth to a new power! Fusion Summon! Appear, the beautiful and most fearsome ballerina! Cyber Blader!" Her monster appeared on her field. "... I think that last part was a bit too much."

"Couldn't agree more," Alex nodded. "Especially the fearsome part."

"Then my turn now, right? Draw," Shou drew his next card. "I activate Big Bro's Fusion Gate and remove Gyroid and Steamroid from my hand! Great train vehicle, become on with the copter and gain its wind power! Fusion Summon! Appear, great train with wind power! Steam Gyroid!" His monster appeared onto his field. "... It should be okay."

"My turn!" Hayato drew his card. "Using Judai's Fusion Gate, I fuse Big Koala and Des Kangaroo! Powerful koala, gain the ability of the fierce fighting kangaroo and become king of all Australian animals! Fusion Summon! Come, fierce fighting kangaroo koala! Master of Oz!" Hayato's monster appeared onto his field. "That should work!"

"Out of all those chants, I think Judai and Hayato's are practically tied. Asuka's is good, but a bit too into the fearsome part, even though Cyber Blader's effects are fearsome. As for Shou, just a little more work on the chant," Misawa analyzed.

"Got it," the shortest of the group nodded.

"By the way, when would your duel be?" Alex asked Judai and Shou.

"Samejima-sensei didn't say yet," the 'Elemental Hero' duelist replied.

"With what happened, I'd say three days at most," Asuka guessed.

"That's a reasonable time gap. After what we all saw, everyone else need that much time to forget about it," Hayato supported.

Just then, they heard someone's Duel Pilot go off. The owner turned out to be Asuka. "Hello?... Yes... What?!... Got it!"

"What's wrong?" Judai asked.

"Something happened to Kohaku!" Just those four words, and everyone got tensed and rushed back to the infirmary.

* * *

"I can't believe this..." Eri spoke. "I just can't believe this happened."

Just then, the door slammed open, harder than the first time. Thankfully, it wasn't enough to break it down.

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" Kohaku's friends asked. Like Eri, they all widened their eyes in shock at the scene before them.

" _Hey guys~!_ " Kohaku was jumping from bed to bed, occasionally doing a small tricks and going 'woo-hoo'. " _What's up~?_ "

"' _Wh-... What's up_ '?" Judai repeated.

"How did you recover so fast?" Misawa questioned.

" _I don't know~!_ " Kohaku jumped off a bed by the window and back-flipped out through it. Seeing her do that stunt got Judai and the gang in a panic as they rushed to the window she jumped out of. Out of some miracle, Kohaku landed on a tree branch and, using it as a makeshift trampoline, jumped back to the room she was in. The group of duelists narrowly avoided getting hit by the not-so-injured girl and saw that she was back to jumping on beds again. "I feel like a million bucks~! And I didn't have anything with sugar in it~! Nor did I drink any alcohol, not that I can to begin with! I just woke up and suddenly have all this energy stored in me wanting to get out! AHH! I could take on ten- no, hundred- no, thousand- no, _THE WHOLE WORLD IN A DUEL!_ Actually I can take on the whole universe in a duel~!"

As Kohaku continued to blabber around, her friends just stared at her in shock. How was it possible for someone who was in a near-death situation to fully recover within an hour? That was the only question that went on in their head.

" _OH YEAH!_ Judai, duel me!" The called Osiris just blinked in surprise at the sudden request. "You said it yourself, didn't you?! That you wanted to duel me! So get your disk ready and let's duel! Oh, but then again, I also promised Alex that! Though I never dueled you, Judai! But Alex is first in line! AAH! WHAT TO DOOOO?! Before that... JUDAI! SHOU!" She suddenly got in their face. That sudden movement surprised them to the point where they were knocked off their feet. "How did it go?! Did you win?! You both won, didn't you?! Your Tag Duel! Of course you won! OfwhatIheard, JudaicanpulloffmiraclesandShouhasPowerBond! Loseisnon-existentwiththosetwocombos! Ooh! I got it! Let's have a Tag Duel then! Judai and Shou vs me and Alex! Ah! But Alex also wants to duel me! AHH! Now what?! Iwanttoduelbothofyoubutyoubothdon'tknoweachother'scards! JustasIwithShou! EvenifIdoknowhiscards, itwouldn'tbefairtobothofyousinceyourdecksdon'tmatcheachotheratall! JUSTWHATDOI-?!"

" _STOOOOOOP!_ " the teenagers shouted, managing to keep Kohaku from saying another word out of her current insanely fast mouth.

"We didn't have our Tag Duel yet!" Judai corrected.

"It got postponed!" Shou explained.

"Oh... Why didn't you say so?" Everyone practically did an anime-fall at such a silly and obvious question.

"How can we?! You were speaking too fast for us to say a word!" the remaining accused shouted.

"But how did you recover that fast?" Asuka dared to ask.

"Don't know. Just woke up with so much energy."

"That's impossible. No one can make that quick a recovery," Misawa said.

"As much as I don't want to interrupt your conversation, I must ask you all to leave," Eri spoke. "Kohaku may have gotten back to full health, but that doesn't mean she can skip her check up."

" _Aye aye~!_ " Kohaku suddenly got on a bed, patiently waiting to be checked. "You guys can wait for me outside~. This shouldn't take long~."

"O-Okay..." they let out, still surprised at nead-dead friend's fast recovery. At that, they all left the room.

"I really hope this is the only time you're here. If this keeps up, there will be no door to this room," Eri said.

"Okay~!"

* * *

"Just how in the world did she heal that fast?" Hayato asked.

"For all I know, that's a question that will be left unanswered," Misawa said.

"No kidding," Alex agreed. "But you still can't help but wonder."

"Though, it isn't normal for anyone to suddenly get better, especially not from a near-death situation," Asuka pointed out.

"Speaking of which, what about me and Big Bro? We might be going up against a pair of Ghouls, too!" Shou brought up.

"Don't worry, Shou," Judai said. "If Kohaku can beat one, then we can too. Besides she has faith in us."

"That doesn't make me feel any better, Big bro..."

"Come on Shou. Sure it seems bad, but that doesn't mean that it is."

"Then Kohaku wouldn't have almost died!"

"I wouldn't have almost what?" came the sudden voice of the mentioned girl. Everyone jumped back at her sudden appearance.

"W-When did you get here?!" Alex questioned.

"Just now. And I could've sworn I heard something about me dying. What are you talking about?" They were all confused at her question.

"K-Kohaku... Do you remember what happened earlier?" Asuka asked.

"Only that I had a Punishment duel and won."

"That's all?" Misawa asked.

"That's all."

"Nothing about the duel?" Hayato followed.

" _Nada._ "

They all sighed at her answer, mostly in relief that Kohaku didn't remember what dying felt like and her rage from her Punishment duel.

"Speaking of duel... _YOU!_ " Kohaku raised her voice and pointed at Alex, much to the latter's shock. "Now that I think about it, we should duel first after all! Judai and Shou still have their Tag Duel to worry about so we should duel!"

"O-Okay okay," the Light and Dark Osiris agreed.

"And you better go all out too! Not once in our duel did you summon out your dragon at all!"

"What about you?!" Alex got into Kohaku's pace. "Not once did you Fusion Summon during any of our duels!"

"Only because I wanted to see how strong you are when you're serious!"

"You never heard of ' _Ladies first_ '?!"

"You never knew that I was a lady in the first place!"

"What was that?!"

"They look like quite a married couple, don't they?" Hayato questioned, as they, minus Judai, looked on with sweat-drops.

"And they only met on this island a few days ago," Asuka pointed out.

"Few days ago? More like years ago," Misawa spoke out most their thoughts.

"Does seem like it," Shou agreed.

"Isn't because their best friends?" Judai asked them.

"How about we duel? The winner is the one who's telling the truth and right!" Kohaku challenged, as the two bashed their heads against each other.

"You accuse me of lying?! But in any case, you're on!" Alex accepted.

' _Now it's like we're seeing two Judais,_ ' the others, minus Judai himself, thought in unison.

"DUEL!"

* * *

 _ ***MEANWHILE***_

"Of all things that happened... Of all mistakes you've made, this is one that takes the bait," Samejima scolded Chronos. He had been giving Chronos a good scolding for quite a while, not realizing that he's been repeating some same exact thing for quite a while.

"I-I understand my mistakes..." the Obelisk male Headmaster tried to stop him. He was on his knees and they had fallen asleep on him.

"If I wasn't me, I may have just sent you back to your dorm..." Chronos didn't hear that part and assumed that he was being off the hook. "And fire you the moment you leave!" He flinched. "Luckily, I believe in second chances, so instead, I'll let you off with a warning and punishment. If you make this kind of mistake again, you will be fired, or do you prefer being a janitor here? As for the punishment... I think confiscating your deck as well as temporarily relieving you of your duties as Obelisk Headmaster would do."

"You'll what?!" Chronos shouted, not believing what he heard. As soon as he saw Samejima's glare, he cleared his throat. "I-I mean of course- _no ne_!"

"Also..."

"Also?"

"Exactly who did you pair Judai and Shou with? If the pair are also former Ghouls, than the warning is meaningless."

"They are..."

* * *

 _ ***BACK TO THE GROUP***_

Turns passed and the duel was quite close.

 **Kohaku: 800 LP**  
 **Alex: 1000 LP**

On Kohaku's field are Circus Freak Time Space Magician with two Circus Counters, Circus Freak Juggler with four Circus Counters, and Circus Freak Spinner with two Circus Counters. On Alex's field are Lightray Diabolos, Dark Armed Dragon, and Kaiser Sea Horse. Kohaku had two cards in her hand and Alex has none. It was Alex's turn.

 **Circus Freak Time Space Magician: Level 7/DARK/Spellcaster/2500 ATK/2000 DEF**

 **Circus Freak Juggler: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1600 + 800 = 2400 ATK/1000 DEF**

 **Circus Freak Spinner: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1500 ATK/1400 DEF**

 **Lightray Diabolos: Level 7/LIGHT/Dragon/2800 ATK/1000 DEF**

 **Dark Armed Dragon: Level 7/DARK/Dragon/2800 ATK/1000 DEF**

 **Kaiser Seahorse: Level 4/LIGHT/Sea Serpent/1700 ATK/1650 DEF**

"Even without Fusion Summoned, you sure are strong," Alex complimented.

"That's what I should be saying. Without Light and Darkness Dragon, you're already strong enough," Kohaku complimented back.

"I can't believe that they're still going," Misawa said in shock.

Asuka looked at the time on her Duel Pilot. "Unbelievable... They've been at it for almost an hour."

"That's a new dueling record!" Hayato exclaimed.

"Just watching this makes me want to duel both of them now!" Judai complained.

"They're practically on the same level..." Shou stated.

Alex drew his next card. His eyes widened at the card he drew. "Wow... You might get your wish after all, Kohaku." His opponent smiled at those words. "Because now, things are about to get wild around here! Kaiser Sea Horse counts as two tributes when Advance Summoning a LIGHT monster! I release Kaiser Sea Horse as two tributes! Advance Summon! Appear from the rift between light and darkness! Light and Darkness Dragon!" In place of the blue and purple armored monster, a dragon who's white on one side and black on the other side appeared. Unlike its black dragon wing, its white wing seemed more angel-like and it has two tails; one white and one black.

 **Light and Darkness Dragon: Level 8/LIGHT/Dragon/2800 ATK/2400 DEF**

"So that's your ace... It's pretty," Kohaku once again complimented.

"Don't be fooled by its appearance. Since I don't have any more DARK monsters in my Grave and you don't have any set cards, I can't use Darklight Destruction."

' _Not like I can while my ace is out,_ ' Alex mentally added.

"However, that doesn't mean I can't attack! Light and Darkness Dragon attacks Spinner! **Shining Breath!** " Alex declared. His monster prepared a white dragon breath attack at the tanned Defense Position Circus Freak.

"I activate Circus Freak Ventriloquism's monster effect from my hand! Discarding him to draw one card and summon it, add it to my hand, or activate it immediately!" Kohaku countered, sending her last card to the grave.

"And rejected! Light and Darkness Dragon's monster effect! Once per chain, when a card effect activates, by paying 500 ATK and DEF points, that effect is negated! **Dark Baptism!** " The dragon canceled its attack for a moment and glowed a dark black aura. It fired that aura towards Kohaku, rather to her Duel Disk's Graveyard Slot, negating her monster's effect.

 **Light and Darkness Dragon: 2800 - 500 = 2300 ATK/2400 - 500 = 1900 ATK**

"No way!" she gasped in shock.

"He negated her monster's effect from the grave!" Hayato exclaimed in shock.

"Awesome! I didn't know that effect existed!" Judai said excitedly.

"Let's try again, Light and Darkness Dragon! **Shining Breath!** " The white and black dragon once again unleashed its attack onto its target, destroying him. "You're luck Light and Darkness doesn't have piercing damage. Though I'm unlucky that he doesn't. Although, that doesn't mean I can't do any more damage. Lightray Diabolos attacks Juggler! **Light Burst Stream!** " His monster let out its attack at the juggling monster.

 **Kohaku: 400 LP**  
 **Alex: 1000 LP**

"Juggler's monster effect! When destroyed, my opponent takes 200 points of damage for each Circus Counters on it! There were four counters on him, so that's 800 damage! **Explosive Balls!** "

"Light and Darkness Dragon's effect activates again!"

"What?!"

"I said once per chain, not once per turn. **Dark Baptism!** " Alex's ace monster negated another effect, saving him from the damage.

 **Light and Darkness Dragon: 2300 - 500 = 1800 ATK/1900 - 500 = 1400 ATK**

"Hey! That's not fair at all!"

"What do you mean not fair?! This is how it is with my monster's effect!"

"What do you mean it's how it is?!"

"Exactly as I say!"

"What?!"

"You know I'm right anyway! That's what we bet on!"

"That was for getting serious during the previous duels!"

"Well now it's the duels and Light and Darkness Dragon's effect!"

"Are they really arguing again?" Misawa questioned, as the bystanders sweat-dropped at the scene before them.

"Looks like it..." Asuka answered.

"Makes it harder to believe that they met few days ago," Shou repeated what was said earlier.

"Anyway, one more attack! Dark Armed Dragon attacks Time Space Magician! **Dark Armed Destroyer!** " Alex continued. His last monster attacked Kohaku's last monster with its signature attack.

 **Kohaku: 100 LP**  
 **Alex: 1000 LP**

"Kohaku's down to a hundred!" Hayato announced in surprise.

"Is she going to lose?!" Judai asked.

"Looks like that win streak of yours is finally going to be broken," Alex stated.

"Not while I still have cards to play!" Kohaku denied. " _It's now time for the Grand Finale! Hola~! Bonjour~! Hello everybody~!_ It's time for today's climatic scene! Will I draw a miracle and overcome the three dragons staring down at me or be overwhelmed by the leader of the three dragons once more?! Do keep your eyes on this show~! My draw!" Kohaku drew her next card. "From my hand, I activate the Instant Magic, Early Performance!"

"And rejected~!" Alex countered. "Light and Darkness Dragon's effect negates your attempt for a Special Summon! **Dark Baptism!** " His dragon once again had that dark aura surrounding him and fired it at Kohaku's card.

 **Light and Darkness Dragon: 1800 - 500 = 1300 ATK/1400 - 500 = 900 DEF**

"That's just what I wanted~!" Kohaku continued, much to his shock. "From my hand, I activate another Instant Magic, Grand Act! By banishing monsters from my Graveyard, I can Fusion Summon a Fusion monster who uses them as Fusion Materials!"

"Oh no!"

"The monsters I'm banishing are Circus Freak Time Space Magician, Circus Freak Juggler and Circus Freak Spinner! Performer who controls time and space, become one with the juggle master and spin master and become the new light that vanquishes the evil darkness! Fusion Summon! Appear, arcane magician with ancient power! Circus Freak Rune Magician!" Kohaku's Fusion monster appeared on her field.

 **Circus Freak Rune Magician: Level 8/DARK/Spellcaster/3000 ATK/2500 DEF**

"Last I remember, you said Light and Darkness Dragon's effect works once per chain. I activated Grand Act the moment you used its effect, therefore the summon is possible!"

"To think that this is what you had plan. But, didn't you just made an error? Last I remember, Rune Magician needs Time Space Magician and Contact Juggler," Alex recalled.

" _My good friend,_ unlike most Fusion monsters, Circus Freak Rune Magician is one of the very few who can be Fusion Summoned using any Fusion Materials. In other words, he can be summoned using Circus Freak Time Space Magician and 1-3 Spellcaster-type monsters."

"What did you say?"

"Rune Magician has been Fusion Summoned. Both of my other two Fusion materials were level 3, which equals to level 6. If the combined level is five to seven, that's three attacks!"

"EHHH?!"

"But that's not all. Grand Act grants the Fusion Monster summoned by this effect 400 extra attack points for each of its Fusion Materials~! Three monsters were used, that makes a total of 1200 additional power!"

 **Circus Freak Rune Magician: 3000 + 1200 = 4200 ATK**

"EEEEEEHHHHHHHH?!"

" _It's showtime~!_ Rune Magician! Attack Light and Darkness Dragon! **Ancient Light Blaster!** " The blue magician fired its attacks at the white and black dragon, ending the duel with a turnaround.

 **Kohaku: 100 LP**  
 **Alex: 0000 LP**

 **WINNER: KOHAKU!**

"Whew... Now that's what I call a close one..." Kohaku sighed in relief, as she flopped onto the ground.

"Oh man! And I was so close!" Alex complained, stomping his feet. "Just one turn! That was all I needed!"

"Man! Watching you two duel makes me want to duel one of you two now!" Judai exclaimed. "Oh! That's it! Kohaku, Alex, let's have a tag duel!"

"Sure. I already completed my promise to Alex." Just then they heard a loud growl, one that could be mistaken for a tiger's growl.

"W-W-W-What was that?!" Shou panicked, as they all looked around to see where the sound came from.

"But first..."

"First?" Asuka asked, looking back at her female friend.

"I didn't have any breakfast... And I had two duels in one day... Too hungry..." Kohaku flopped onto the ground again.

"That was your stomach?!" they all questioned.

"You'd get this hungry too if you perform for hours in front of people since youth."

"Well, some food does sound nice right about now," Misawa agreed.

"Especially from all that tension and practice duels," Hayato added.

"So, where to?" The group got confused at Kohaku's question.

"What do you mean, Kohaku?" Alex asked.

"We're all friends, aren't we? We don't get to hang out like this so often. Besides, after we eat, while we still have time, we should help Judai and Shou train some more. It's better than to just go back to our dorms and meet up somewhere." They all saw that Kohaku had a good point, especially considering the possibility of Judai and Shou's opponent being a pair of former Ghouls.

"In that case..."

* * *

With Asuka's permission, the group went into the Obelisk Blue's cafeteria to eat. Unlike the bedrooms and the bathrooms, both the male and female Obelisks can be in the cafeteria together. The Obelisk's cafe is right in the male's dorm. Before they went to the cafeteria, Asuka took Kohaku to the girl's dorm for a change of clothes, in which Kohaku questioned, "Why are my clothes ripped? And they smell a bit charred too. Also, what's with the bandage around my chest?" Those three sentences were more proof that she had no recollection of what happened during her duel against Pandora.

After getting her changed in Obelisk Blue's female uniform, somewhat to the female Osiris' dismay, they met up with the guys and head over to the blue's cafeteria. At first, all the blues that were at the dorm at that time didn't approve most of the group being in their cafe. But with some... 'sweet' talk from Asuka, and a duel challenge from both Kohaku and Alex, they all backed off. Unexpectedly, the cafe seemed more like a restaurant, one that's for rich people. Other than the tables being covered in tablecloths, the fancy chairs, and a vase holding a few flowers in the middle of the table, there were also waiters, waitresses and chefs. Unlike the blue students, though, they didn't mind people from other dorm coming in.

"Asuka... You get to eat... these kind of food everyday...?" Judai asked, speechless at the lunch menu he was looking at.

"Now I do wish to be on my brother's level before I came here..." Shou said in envy.

"And you get all of this for free?!" Hayato asked.

"Yeah. It was a surprise for me too when I first saw all this," Asuka replied.

"Really?" Misawa spoke in disbelief.

"Excuse me, but I'm not from a rich family. All female students are instantly put in Obelisk Blue, doesn't matter how good or bad you are."

"But I did see some girls who aren't Obelisk Blue," Alex pointed out.

"They either got demoted or just wanted to have the same treatment as guys."

"I see."

"So, everything here is free. So just order to your hearts' content." She then noticed that Kohaku wasn't looking at her menu. "What's wrong, Kohaku?"

"I already know what to order," Kohaku answered.

"That's fast!" Judai practically shouted.

"And you don't seem at all fazed by the number of choices either..." Shou pointed out.

"Back before transferring to this school, while going around the world and perform, my mother would often reserve the best restaurants for us to go to the day after we did our circus performance. So something like this isn't much of a surprise or shock for me."

"As expected of Animer Circus. You must've made so much money," Hayato assumed.

" _Oh no._ We get to eat for free in those restaurants, as long as we perform for the customers and workers themselves before then."

"SERIOUSLY?!" the group questioned, their eyes bulging out.

"Just one of the advantage of being a performer~" Kohaku smirked and made a peace sign.

"A-Animer Circus Power..." shortest of the group muttered.

* * *

 _ ***LATER***_

After the exquisite lunch, the group went back outside and got to practice. As promised, it was Judai and Shou vs Kohaku and Alex. Putting it in simpler terms, however... the former team was getting horribly beaten...

 **Judai and Shou: 0000 LP  
** **Kohaku and Alex: 6100 LP**

"N-... No use..." Judai muttered, lying on the ground after countless defeat.

"And they didn't held back once..." Shou followed.

"Isn't that obvious?" Kohaku asked.

"Your opponents won't hold back either, you know," Alex stated. "Come on. Get up. If you really are serious about staying here, then stand."

"B-But first... A break..." Judai requested.

" _NO BREAKS!_ "

"YES!" Judai and Shou both instantly got on their knees at Kohaku's sudden shout.

"Are you two really that serious about staying here?! Don't either of you want to graduate Duel Academia?! Do either of you care about your dreams?!"

"Another part of Kohaku has just been revealed..." Misawa muttered.

"We're learning more things about her as the day pass," Asuka stated.

"When I was in both of your position, I too wanted to take breaks. But do you know what my father told me?"

"Smile is number one?" Shou guessed.

"Just have fun, it'll be okay?" Judai also guessed.

" _WRONG!_ " She suddenly had out a whip from who-knows-where and nearly whipped the two poor boys. "That time it was 'take too much breaks and how will you ever reach your dream?! Do you really wish to be what you say you would be?! Then show me! Do not stop until you overcome your current obstacle!'" As she shout those things, she also whipped around her Osiris friends, Judai and Shou just narrowly avoiding each whip.

"Where did you get that whip from?" Alex dared to ask.

"Do not let it bother you."

And so continued the hellish training.

* * *

 _ ***FEW DAYS LATER***_

It was time for part two of the Punishment Duel. Enough time has passed for the students to calm down about what happened to Kohaku's duel. Though after hearing bits and pieces, Kohaku kept asking her friends exactly what happened, all who either changed the subject or dodged it. She even asked her fellow Osiris, but for some reason, AKA Judai, Shou, Hayato and Alex pleading them to say nothing about it, they also dodged the subject.

"Just what exactly happened?" she kept asking from her seat in the audience.

"I honestly don't know," Time Space Magician answered. Yes, even her own Duel Monster Spirit refused to answer.

"You really don't know?"

"You asked me this since you've regained conscious, milady. And I assure you, I know not a thing."

"This is weird though. How could I have forgotten what my duel was like?"

"That I also do not know, milady."

"Yo, Kohaku!" came Alex's voice. Kohaku looked and saw her friends, minus Judai and Shou, walking up to take a seat next to her.

"Hey guys," Kohaku greeted.

"Today's finally the day, huh..." Misawa said.

"Yeah. Let's just hope that all that training helps them," Asuka hoped.

"With all they went through the pass few days... I am only hoping that they have enough strength to stand," Hayato told them.

"Why's that?" Kohaku asked.

"Oh nothing!" After what happened that time when Judai asked for a break, practically more than half the dorm... rather the whole dorm in general, feared Kohaku when she's not her happy self. Sure she doesn't always smile, but ever since she helped Judai and Shou get stronger, it had been hell, even if they weren't involved in the training session.

The two Osiris in question were on the field. From the audience, no one noticed it but, they both have bags under their eyes. Fortunately the bags aren't that visible.

"Shou... You alive?" Judai asked in a whispered voice.

"Yes, Big Bro... Don't want to get another Kohaku Judgement..." Shou answered.

"The only time we can relax is when we sleep... However, because our duel had to be early in the afternoon and we didn't sleep until later, we didn't get enough..."

"And Kohaku even let us sleep early because of it... Why didn't we check our decks after we wake up instead of before we sleep?"

"Well then, we will now begin the Tag Duel!" Chronos announced. Couple days back, his current status was already known throughout the whole island. Judai and the rest, minus Kohaku, wondered why Samejima didn't fire him. The principal's answer: he believes in second chances. He assured Shou, however, that his and Judai's opponents weren't former Ghouls like Pandora. Though, for one reason or another, his face seemed to light up at the topic of who they will be facing.

"Now, in order to give you two impudent ones a thumping... _Parmesan Cheese..._ I have invited some legendary duelists!"

As soon as Chronos said that, two bald men in Chinese robes flipped onto the stage, one in orange and one in green. They both have a Chinese mark on their foreheads. The two kept back-flipping all over the field, much to the two's confusion. Kohaku, Misawa, Asuka, Alex and Hayato knew who those two were. Eventually, the two stopped flipping and landed behind Judai and Shou.

"We are the Roaming Guards!" the orange one introduced.

"The Meikyuu Brothers!" the green one added.

"Whoa! Is this a Hong Kong movie?" Judai asked, sleep completely wore off him.

"Could those two be our opponents?" Shou guessed.

"They are legendary duelists known for having fought against the Duel King, Mutou Yugi- _no ne,_ " Chronos informed.

"Against the Duel King?!"

"I've heard of them," Asuka spoke from the audience. "They are sibling duelists who gave the Duel King a hard time with their invincible combinations."

"Those two don't have a chance-" Misawa muttered, but was interrupted by having his mouth covered. He looked to the side and saw ALex putting his finger in front of his lip as to tell him to be quiet. Reason? A dark aura radiated from the 'Circus Freak' duelist on his other side. "I-I mean... Judai and Shou should have a chance in defeating them. After all that hard work."

"We hold no grudge to thee, but..."

"-we're locked into battle for reasons of our own," the green one finished for his brother.

"If you cannot defeat us..."

"-you're path will remain blocked!"

"Now come and fight us!" both said in unison.

Behind the two reds, Chronos was chuckling, thinking they were scared.

"This sounds fun! I can't believe we'll be fighting against legendary duelists who fought against the Duel King!" Judai happily exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with excitement. This unexpected reaction made Chronos anime-fall.

"Well, right then..." The blonde teacher got back up. "Now, both sides, get into position!" They four duelists did just that. "You cannot give advice to your tag partner- _na no ne._ Also, you treat your partner's field as though it's your field. Understand- _no ne?_ Each tag team will share 8000 Life Points! So then..."

"DUEL!"

 **Meikyuu Brothers: 8000 LP**  
 **Judai and Shou: 8000 LP**

Both sides drew their starting hand.

"It's my turn! Draw!" Shou went first, drawing his sixth card. "I summon Gyroid in Attack Mode!" A blue cartoonish-helicopter appeared on his field.

 **Gyroid: Level 3/WIND/Machine/1000 ATK/1000 DEF**

"It's my turn. Draw!" the orange brother drew his sixth card. "I summon Landmine Spider in Attack Mode." An orange and brown spider appeared on his field.

 **Landmine Spider: Level 4/EARTH/Insect/2200 ATK/100 DEF**

"My turn. Draw!" Judai began his turn. "I summon Elemental Hero Burstlady in Defense Mode!" Judai's green female warrior in red appeared on his field.

 **Elemental Hero Burstlady: Level 3/FIRE/Warrior/1200 ATK/800 DEF**

"It's my turn. Draw!" the green brother began his turn. "I summon Kaiser Seahorse in Attack Mode!" A familiar blue and purple armored sea serpent appeared on his field.

 **Kaiser Seahorse: Level 4/LIGHT/Sea Serpent/1700 ATK/1650 DEF**

"I activate a Magic Card from my hand. Sacrifice Doll," the green brother continued. "This card activates by sacrificing one monster on my field." He looked at his brother, who nodded. "I use Landmine Spider as a sacrifice..." The spider got destroyed. "... to Special Summon a Level 7 monster from my hand! Come forth! Wicked Wind Lord- Hyuga!" Wind suddenly picked up on the field. Appearing from the wind is a green machine-like monster with a kanji for wind on its body(?)

 **Wicked Wind Lord- Hyuga: Level 7/WIND/Spellcaster/2400 ATK/2200 DEF**

"He used his Tag Partner's monster as though it was his own to summon out a stronger monster," Misawa analyzed.

"This kind of cooperation on the first turn... simply amazing," Asuka admitted.

"Can't disagree to that," Alex agreed. He looked to the side and saw Kohaku with a frown on her face. "Kohaku, are you okay?"

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine," she replied with a fake smile.

"Thank you elder brother," the green brother said to his older twin.

"Don't mention it. I would make any sacrifice for you," the orange one replied to his younger brother.

Those words made Kohaku more hurt. Alex noticed and took a guess, but decided to say nothing.

"No. I wouldn't feel right if I didn't give you something in return," the younger brother continued, as he picked out a card from his hand. "The Magic Card, Dark Designator. If a monster that I designate is in my opponent's deck, this card can add that card to my opponent's hand. And I designate... Wicked Thunder Lord- Sanga!"

"I thank you," the older brother chuckled. "Naturally I have Sanga in my deck." Said card was added to his hand. "Allow us..."

"-to give you a lesson..."

"-in the true essence of tag dueling!" both finished in unison. Shou flinched at their declaration.

"U-Unreal... To think they summoned a strong monster on their first turn right off the bat..." Shou looked at his partner. "Big bro?"

"These guys are legendary duelists they cracked up to be, all right!" Judai said in amazement. "But we won't lose, will we?"

"R-Right! No, we won't!" Shou brought his attention right back to the field. "My turn! Draw!" He drew his next card. "I summon Steamroid in Attack Mode!" A familiar-looking train-like monster appeared on his field.

 **Steamroid: Level 4/EARTH/Machine/1800 ATK/1800 DEF**

He then took a deep breath. "From my hand, I activate my Magic Card, Fusion! I fuse Gyroid and Steamroid! Blue helicopter, mix your powers in the black steam train! Fusion Summon! Appear, steam train with wind power! Steam Gyroid!" Shou's two monsters fused together to make a younger version of Steamroid with helicopter blades.

 **Steam Gyroid: Level 6/EARTH/Machine/2200 ATK/1600 DEF**

"Hey! Isn't that my thing?!" Kohaku shouted, completely forgetting about the sadness that was in her. Her friends turned away and covered their ears, not wanting to hear any wrath that was to come. "Nice one, Shou!" Or so they thought.

"You're glad he copied you or not?!" Alex questioned.

Back to the duel, Shou continued his turn.

"I haven't overlooked this important fact! It was the elder of you Meikyuu Brothers that made the sacrifice for Wicked Wind Lord- Hyuga's summoning. And that means there aren't any monsters to defend the elder's field!"

"Shou!" Judai seemed to want to warn his partner.

"Go, Steam Gyroid! Attack the elder directly!" Friends of the two Osiris widened their eyes and gasped at the declaration.

"Oh! Damn it!" the elder cursed. The steam train went in to attack the defenseless duelist. However, his expression changed into a smirk. "That won't happen."

"Wicked Wind Lord- Hyuga's special ability," the younger brother countered. " **Reflection Storm Barricade!** " His monster went in front of the orange duelist and summoned a strong wind, preventing Shou's monster's attack. "Wicked Wind Lord- Hyuga's ability reduces damage from an opponent's monster to zero once!"

"No way..." Shou muttered.

"You almost made it, Shou," Judai spoke.

"Big bro..."

"Like you said, the duel's just begun. Let's go crazy on them!"

Shou nodded at those words. "I set a reverse card to end my turn."

"It's my turn. Draw." The elder bro drew his next card. "The magic card, Resurrection of the Dead! I summon Landmine Spider back from my Graveyard." The overgrown spider returned to the field. "Next I activate a Magic Card, Sacrifice Doll."

"Again?! This card's effect will use Landmine Spider as a Sacrifice to Special Summon Wicked Water Lord- Suga!" The bug was destroyed again for a blue monster that seemed similar to Wicked Wind Lord- Hyuga, only with a kanji for water on it.

 **Wicked Water Lord- Suga: Level 7/WATER/Spellcaster/2500 ATK/2400 DEF**

Shou and Judai gasped at the sight before them.

"And I'm not done yet." The older faced the younger. "Now I'll be needing your help."

"Sure thing, older brother," the younger insisted.

"I offer Kaiser Sea Horse as a sacrifice!" Dark aura surrounds the sea serpent.

"When summoning a LIGHT attribute monster, Kaiser Seahorse can be used as two sacrifices," the younger brother explained.

"This summons Wicked Thunder Lord- Sanga!" the older brother shouted. Now on his empty field is a dark yellow and brown monster similar to Suga and Hyuga.

 **Wicked Thunder Lord- Sanga: Level 7/LIGHT/Spellcaster/2600 ATK/2200 DEF**

"What a combo," Misawa spoke in awe.

"No, it's not over yet," Asuka corrected.

"With those three monsters..." Alex muttered.

"It'll be huge trouble for Judai and Shou if that monster is out..." Kohaku finished his thoughts.

Shou trembled at the sight of three monsters floating before him.

The elder brother chuckled. "That makes all of them..."

"Now we shall show you our ultimate monster!" the younger brother announced.

"When Wicked Water Lord- Suga, Wicked Thunder Lord-Sanga, and Wicked Wind Lord- Hyuga are all on the field, by offering all three as sacrifices, I can summon Gate Guardian!" All three monsters got together and formed a bigger and badder monster.

 **Gate Guardian: Level 11/DARK/Warrior/3750 ATK/3400 DEF**

"Gate..."

"Guardian?" Shou and Judai gasped.

"Go, Gate Guardian! Attack Steam Gyroid! **Wicked Lord Shockwave!** " the older brother ordered. His monster blasted electrifying water at the steam train, destroying it and hitting Shou with its attack.

 **Meikyuu Brothers: 8000 LP**  
 **Judai and Shou: 6450 LP**

"Their decks were built specifically for tag duels," Misawa analyzed. "They've left no gaps in it, as would be expected."

"And since they're brothers, they're totally in sync with each other," Asuka added.

Kohaku looked on, the pained look returned on her face. Alex noticed and stayed silent.

"Did you see?" the older began.

"This is tag duel," the younger finished.

"To think Steam Gyroid would be beaten in mere seconds..." Shou spoke in disbelief. Certain people watched the duel in pure bliss, wanting the duel to end already. Shou looked at his partner, worried that his first thoughts about the tag duel idea were right.

"Amazing. I've never seen a monster like that before," Judai said, even more amazed than before. "So, this is the monster that fought against the Duel King, is it? And we've got the opportunity to go against it! Aren't you just pumped?!" His partner could only look on in even more confusion than before.

"I set one reverse card on the field to end my turn," the turn-taker ended.

"All right, now it's my turn! Draw!" the 'Elemental Hero' duelist drew his next card. "Okay. I summon Elemental Hero Clayman in Attack Mode!" Judai's EARTH Attribute hero appeared on his field.

 **Elemental Hero Clayman: Level 4/EARTH/Warrior/800 ATK/2000 DEF**

"Then I activate the Magic Card! Fusion! It'll fuse Burstlady and Clayman together! Fiery warrioress, defensive warrior, become one and give birth to a new power! Fusion Summon! Come forth, defensive hero with high accuracy! Elemental Hero Rampart Gunner!" A monster with machine-like body, a gun as its right arm and shield as its left hand appeared on his field in Defense Position.

 **Elemental Hero Rampart Gunner: Level 6/EARTH/Warrior/2000 ATK/2500 DEF**

"Even though you Fusion Summoned it, its ATK is 2000 and DEF is 2500," Shou noted. "That means it's no match for Gate Guardian, Big Bro."

"Rampart Gunner's special effect activates," the turn-taker continued. "While in Defense Positon, this card can attack the opponent directly!"

The twins cringed at the news. "What?!"

"Go, Rampart Gunner! **Rampart Shot!** " The armed monster fired a pair of missiles at the pair of duelists. "You'll only get damaged with half its ATK with this effect, though."

 **Meikyuu Brothers: 7000 LP**  
 **Judai and Shou: 6450 LP**

"You're not bad," the green robed duelist admitted.

"Cool! That's my Big Bro!" Shou admired.

"Yeah! I end my turn."

"It's my turn, draw!" The younger twin drew his card. "I activate the Equip Magic, Meteor Strike! I equip it with Gate Guardian! When a monster equipped with this card attacks a Defense Position monster, if it exceeds its DEF, it deals damage to the opponent equal to the difference."

"I won't let that happen!" Shou exclaimed with courage. "I'm going to be of some use to my Big Bro! Reverse card open, Cyclone! This card destroys a Magic or Trap card on the field. You won't be able to use Meteor Strike!" His face-down was flipped face-up, summoning a typhoon to destroy the card.

"I activate a Trap card! Judgement of Anubis!" the older twin countered. "By discarding one card from my hand, it can negate an opponent's card that destroys Magic or Trap." The wind dispersed. "In addition, it destroys an opponent's monster and deals that monster's ATK as damage to you!" Judai and Shou's last means of defense was destroyed.

 **Meikyuu Brothers: 7000 LP**  
 **Judai and Shou: 4450 LP**

"Next, I summon Defense Wall in Defense Mode," the younger brother continued his turn. A grey wall with arms and legs appeared.

 **Defense Wall: Level 4/EARTH/Rock/0 ATK/2100 DEF**

"As long as Defense Wall is on the field in Defense Mode, all opposing monsters will target this monster for their attacks!"

"For attacking, Gate Guardian. For defense, Gate Guardian. They've left absolutely no gaps at all," Misawa spoke in slight amazement.

"They know the ins-and-outs in tag dueling," Asuka replied. "Yet in comparison..."

"My turn is over," the green robed duelist ended.

"M-My turn... Draw..." Shou nervously drew his next card. "I summon Cycroid in Defense mode." A bicycle monster with handles as arms appeared.

 **Cycroid: Level 3/EARTH/Machine/800 ATK/1000 DEF**

"I end my turn..."

"It's my turn! Draw! Go, Gate Guardian! **Wicked Lord Shockwave!** " The attacking monster once again used its signature move on Shou's monster. "Meteor Strike's effect will now deal Piercing Damage to the player!" Another round of Wicked Lord Shockwave was shot, this time at Shou.

 **Meikyuu Brothers: 7000 LP**  
 **Judai and Shou: 1700 LP**

Watching the duel go on made Kohaku sick to her stomach. "Sorry guys... I gotta go..." Without hearing any word from her friends, Kohaku left the stadium.

"I'll go after her," Alex insisted, already following her out.

"In the face of us brothers..."

"-you are no match!" the two brothers exclaimed.


	8. Punishment Duel Part 3

**Coral: We're back! To the average chapter's length!**

 **Aki: Not that that's important.**

 **Coral: We're also back to part 3 of the Punishment Duel! And we will find out just why Kohaku took off the way she did.**

 **Aki: I think the readers already know though, from what was revealed.**

 **Coral: True... Still, readers! Enjoy~!**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 ** _*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*_**

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

 **Meikyuu Brothers: 7000 LP  
** **Judai and Shou: 1700 LP**

 **Gate Guardian: Level 11/DARK/Warrior/3750 ATK/3400 DEF**

 **Defense Wall: Level 4/EARTH/Rock/0 ATK/2100 DEF**

 **Elemental Hero Rampart Gunner: Level 6/EARTH/Warrior/2000 ATK/2500 DEF**

"So it was all futile from the start, huh?" Misawa muttered. "For their first and sudden Tag Duel, they're way outmatched."

"Yes. Not only is each duelist's power important for a tag duel, but so are their combinations with their partner," Asuka agreed. "However, an impromptu team does has its limits."

"The properties of Judai and Shou's decks are far too different. It doesn't seem like they tuned them for tag teams, either, even after all that training and practice. Is this the end?"

"Judai..."

"Hang in there..." Hayato thought out loud, mentally furious that Judai and Shou might break their promise of returning to Osiris Red.

Certain people watched happily at the downfall of the two reds.

"This is good. This is oh-so-good," Chronos thought out loud. "I would've expected no less from legendary duelists who've gone up against the Duel King- _na no ne._ This will be _fine_ , the end, for the impudent dropout boys!"

"You never know the outcome of a duel until the end, Chronos-kun," Samejima told him.

"Yes, I know, Mr. Principal. But wouldn't it be in their best interest to expel them instead of prolonging their suffering any longer?"

"Even though said duelist hasn't given up yet?" Chronos got confused at those words and looked back at the duel at one person in particular. Much to his surprise, Judai stood there with a determined look on his face.

The ex-headmaster gasped and paled in complete shock. "This is absolute bonkers! Salted shrimp crackers!"

"My, my... what a grave predicament-nya," Daitokuji muttered in the audience. His cat, Pharaoh, meowed. "You think so too, Pharaoh-nya?"

"Hmph. By that look of yours, it seems you still don't plan on quitting, having come this far," the elder brother spoke.

"How stubborn..." the younger brother stated.

"As long as they have cards in their decks, duelists never give up until the very end!" Judai stated. "The Duel King would do the same, wouldn't he?" A faint image of his Spirit Partner, Winged Kuriboh, appeared and spoke some of its words. "You got that right."

"But what about your partner?"

"He seems to have lost his will to fight."

Judai looked at Shou to find what they said to be true. "Shou! We can still go on, right?"

"Big Bro..." Shou seemed to want to say something.

"Besides, you have a card that can beat Gate Guardian." The '-roid' duelist gasped at that reminder. "My turn! Draw!"

* * *

 _ ***MEANWHILE...***_

Alex looked everywhere for Kohaku. After they left the stadium, she just took off. This worries him more.

"Kohaku! Where are you?!" he called. He slowed to a stop as he heard the sound of vomit, coming from the girl's bathroom. As soon as the vomit came to a stop, the Light and Darkness duelist knocked on the door. "Kohaku? Are you okay?"

"S-... Somewhat..." came his friend's hoarse voice. Kohaku walked out the girl's room.

"... You want to talk about it? We're friends after all. It's the least I can do at least."

"... I guess I should talk about this to someone. Get this weight off my chest." They both sat in the middle of the hall. "... I had a younger twin sister. Years ago, she died of a crime she didn't commit. Before that, we'd usually duel together, mostly tag duels. They were the best days of my life. But, because of her powers, everyone sees her as a monster."

"Powers?"

"She can materialize monsters, make them real, kind of like me. Only difference is, her power also makes the damages she inflicts onto players real. We didn't want the whole world to think that our father's circus was a group of monsters, like how kids in our home town did to her, so we only stuck with table duels, only using the duel disks when we're practicing her control over her own powers. There were times when she would duel against other kids without me being there to look after her, but somehow, she would be convinced to put on a duel disk and duel them. We're lucky enough that she dueled them in private, otherwise, our father's career would've been down a long time ago. Seeing those two Meikyuu Brothers do their tag dueling style... made me remember all those tag duels I had with her."

"... I think I see what you mean, about your sister being treated bad," Alex spoke after a moment of silence.

"How so?"

"You remember that time when I said I thought we met before? I think that was your twin that time. I can faintly remember a couple of things, mainly how she was always picked on for being different. She wouldn't tell me what made her different from everyone else."

"I see. At least now I know that she made a normal friend who understands her the way I do. You do understand my sister the way I do, right?"

"If you mean that it wasn't her fault for having powers in the first place, then yeah, I do understand. Not every flower can choose where they bloom or what they look like."

"Huh. Never took you for a metaphor kind of guy."

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing." The two friends laughed happily.

"... Kohaku... I've been thinking... I think maybe you do have the right to know. About your Punishment Duel," Alex decided.

"Really? You don't need to-"

"You should know. You have every right to." Alex explained everything that happened in Kohaku's duel. Every. Last. Detail.

"You're kidding..." Kohaku spoke, after a long silence.

"Would I kid around about a topic like this?" Alex questioned. "I know the truth hurts. Especially since you found your sister's murderer and lost your chance to kill him for her, but it's actually a good thing you didn't. I mean, if the you back then is-"

"I know. I'm glad too actually, that I didn't kill him. That wouldn't be me at all. My sister would haunt me if I did something that doesn't define me."

"If she can materialize monsters, that might be possible." They both chuckled at the fact. "So, should we get back? Judai and Shou need all the support they can get."

Kohaku nodded to that idea and they both ran back to the stadium.

* * *

 _ ***BACK TO THE DUEL***_

Couple turns had passed. Judai summoned Sparkman and equipped Spark gun onto him, using its effect to switch Gate Guardian to Defense, ending his turn with a face-down. The younger brother only used his turn to set a card as well. Shou, before starting his turn, asked Judai why he would want him as his partner. Judai replied saying that he noticed how much Shou likes his cards, that he wants to keep dueling at the school and duel him again. Encouraged by those words, Shou drew his card, one that was said to defeat Gate Guardian. He then summoned Drillroid and attacked Defense Wall, not only dealing some damage to themselves, but destroying Defense Wall, via Drillroid's effect. Despite that, the brothers mocked Shou, saying that unless they can defeat Gate Guardian, which they dubbed impossible, they are sitting ducks. However, Shou activated the card he drew, Shield Crush, destroying Gate Guardian, since it was in Defense. This brought cheers from fellow Reds, Yellows, even the Blues, surprisingly.

 **Meikyuu Brothers: 7000 LP  
** **Judai and Shou: 1200 LP**

 **Elemental Hero Sparkman: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/1600 ATK/1400 DEF**

 **Drillriod: Level 4/EARTH/Machine/1600 ATK/1600 DEF**

"Who would've thought they defeated Gate Guardian?" Misawa asked, shocked at the turnaround.

"We figured they didn't refine their decks, but that might've been for the best," Asuka believed. "They don't have tag team decks like the Meikyuu Brothers, but with the strong points of each other's decks in mind, they work in tandem perfectly. I think it's okay for there to be tag teams like that."

"We're back!" came Alex's voice.

"What'd we miss?" Kohaku asked. The Ra Yellow and female Obelisk Blue explained the situation.

"Who would've thought that they'd make this kind of turnaround?"

"It's a miracle. Now all they have to do is win before the Meikyuu Brothers comes up with a method to bring Gate Guardian back."

"I set a reverse card face-down and end my turn," Shou finished. "Big Bro, I..."

"Just leave it to me, Shou," Judai assured, knowing what he would say.

"It appears we've let out guard down a bit," the elder brother stated.

"We never would have thought they would take down our Gate Guardian," the younger added.

"HOWEVER!"

"This is only the beginning of our invincible combination. It's my turn. Draw!" The elder brother drew his next card. "I activate a Magic card from my hand! Dark Element! This card effect's activates when Gate Guardian is in my Graveyard! By halving out Life Points, it special summons the Guardian of Darkness- Dark Guardian from my deck!" A gladiator-like monster with an insect-like lowerhalf made of rocks and steel legs appeared.

 **Meikyuu Brothers: 3500 LP  
** **Judai and Shou: 1200 LP**

 **Guardian of Darkness- Dark Guardian: Level 12/DARK/Warrior/3800 ATK/3800 DEF**

"An ATK of 3800?!" Misawa gasped.

"Go! Guardian of Darkness- Dark Guardian! Attack Drillroid! **Dark Shockwave!** " the elder declared, as his monster sent lightning at the drill monster.

"This is bad! If it connects, Judai and Shou will lose!"

"Unless those face-downs can save them, they're goners!" Alex stated.

"Judai," Asuka spoke.

"Don't lose!" Kohaku shouted.

"This is the end!" the turn-taker declared.

"Reverse card open! Hero Barrier!" Judai countered. "This card activates when an 'Elemental Hero' monster is on the field! It negates one of my opponent's attacks!" A blue barrier appeared in front of Drillroid, shielding it from the hit.

"Blocking that attack..."

"-was quite a feat!" the younger finished for the elder. "However it will be your last!"

"And, to add that, Dark Guardian is our guardian that cannot be destroyed by battle. So long as our Dark Guardian remains, you two have no chance of winning this time!"

Shou got to his knees, mentally blaming himself for causing this to happen.

"Shou. Stand, Shou!" Judai called.

"Big bro..."

"We're gonna win this, no matter what."

Though a bit reluctant, Shou shakily got back on his feet.

"Oh? You're still gonna fight, huh?" the elder questioned.

"I admit that their spirit is commendable," the younger said.

"My turn is finished."

"My turn. Draw!" Judai drew his card. "I activate a Magic Card, Pot of Greed! I draw two cards, and then I activate Field Magic, Fusion Gate! As long as this card's on the field, anyone can Fusion Summon without Fusion. I'll fuse Elemental Hero Featherman and Bubbleman from my hand with Sparkman from my field! Hero of the wind, hero of the water, hero of the lightning! Become one and give birth to a brand new power! Fusion Summon! Come out, unbeatable hero! Elemental Hero Tempester!" Sparkman fused with his two allies, now appearing as a muscled man with a suit somewhat similar to Sparkman's, some light armor, and Featherman's wings.

 **Elemental Hero Tempester: Level 8/WIND/Warrior/2800 ATK/2800 DEF**

"He's reached this point, but Judai's not giving in."

"But, even so, he can't beat Dark Guardian," Asuka reminded Misawa.

"Kohaku..." Alex spoke with a smirk.

"Yeah. Judai... You're up to something," Kohaku agreed with Alex's thoughts.

"A triple Fusion Summon? But..."

"Dark Guardian's ATK is 3800," the green-robed duelist finished for the orange-robed. "And it can't be destroyed by battle."

"Yet, what does he plan to do?"

"I plan to do this!" Judai answered. "I activate the field magic, Skyscraper!" Fusion Gate was dismissed, replaced with a hologram of the city. "This effect raises 'Elemental Hero' monster's ATK if it's ATK is lower than the monster it's attacking!"

 **Elemental Hero Tempester: 2800 + 1000 = 3800 ATK**

"What?!" both brothers gasped.

" **Chaos Tempest!** " At that order, the Fusion monster dove and punched the dark monster.

"They may both have an equal 3800 ATK, but we told you that Dark Guardian can't be destroyed by battle!" the elder reminded.

"Your efforts are wasted!" the younger boasted.

"Shou, I'm borrowing your card." Shou got confused at those words. "Tempester's special effect activates! By sending a card on my field to the Graveyard, this card can't be destroyed by battle!"

"Judai, what are you thinking?" Asuka wondered.

Elsewhere in the stadium, Shou's actual older brother, Marufuji Ryo, understood Judai's hidden intentions. "Shou, will you answer him back?"

"Big bro," said duelist spoke.

"Did you pay attention, Shou?" Judai asked. Shou nodded that he payed attention. "All right. I end my turn."

"It's my turn! Draw! Trap card open! Single Combat!" The younger brother activated his card the moment he drew his card. "During this turn, each players do battle with their strongest monster! With Dark Guardian, I attack Tempester!"

"Again? But no matter how much you try, the results will be the same, won't it?" Shou questioned.

"Is that so?"

"Judai doesn't have any cards on his field to send to the Graveyard to activate Tempester's special effect," Asuka pointed out.

"In order to prevent its destruction..."

"To keep Tempester from being destroyed, I send Skyscraper to the Graveyard!" Judai finished Misawa's thoughts, as the holograms of the buildings faded away.

"Even if it can't be destroyed now, the damage will still run its course!" The wind from the force of Dark Guardian's swing passed the monster and got to Judai and Shou.

 **Meikyuu Brothers: 3500 LP  
** **Judai and Shou: 200 LP**

"I end my turn," the turn-taker finished.

"We applaud you for making it this far," his partner/twin complimented.

"But now comes your end."

"Keep what just happened in mind," Judai said to Shou.

"Big Bro..." Shou was still confused as to what it was Judai was trying to tell him. He then realized what that thing was.

"I'm counting on you, Shou."

Shou nodded. Pressure was increasing, from both worry and excitement, for certain things from the latter. The '-roid' duelist looked up at his blood-related brother in the audience, looking back at the time when the former told the latter that he would be coming here. "It's my turn! Draw!" Shou drew his next card. That card... turned out to be Power Bond. "I offer Drillroid as a sacrifice to summon UFORoid!" The drill monster turned into a UFO.

 **UFORoid: Level 6/LIGHT/Machine/1200 ATK/1200 DEF**

"And then, from my hand, I activate a Magic Card! Power Bond! This card is a Fusion Magic for Machine-types! Big Bro, here we go!" Shou turned to his partner.

"Yeah, go with all you got!" Judai encouraged.

"It'll fuse UFORoid and Tempester! Small UFO, become a support for the unbeatable warrior! Fusion Summon! Come forth! UFORoid Fighter!" His monster seemed to have upgraded itself, becoming big enough for Judai's monster to stand on and use as his own vehicle.

 **UFORoid Fighter: Level 10/LIGHT/Machine/? ATK/? DEF**

"It's ATK is the total ATK of its Fusion Monsters!"

 **UFORoid Fighter: ? -} 4000 ATK**

"What good is it now? Its ATK might be higher by a small fraction but..."

"-Dark Guardian can't be destroyed by battle!" the younger finished for his elder.

"That I know! Next, Power Bond's effect activates! It doubles the ATK of the Special Summoned monster!"

 **UFORoid Fighter: 4000 x 2 = 8000 ATK**

"8000?!" the brothers gasped.

"Big Bro made me realize through example. Even if a monster can't be destroyed, the damage still goes through! **Fortune Tempest!** " At his order, the fused monster sent a powerful blast at the monster before it, depleting the rest of the Meikyuu brothers' Life Points and ending the game.

 **Meikyuu Brothers: 0000 LP  
** **Judai and Shou: 200 LP**

 **WINNER: JUDAI AND SHOU!**

"They did it!" Hayato cheered.

"Nice going, you two!" Alex shouted.

"Thank goodness. Now those two can remain at the academy," Misawa sighed in relief.

"Even though he'll turn into a tough rival, you're still happy?" Asuka asked.

"What about you?"

"I would just feel guilty if they got expelled because of me. But I'm glad now."

Kohaku noticed a faint blush on her cheeks. "Oh? Asuka, what's that I'm seeing?"

"What's what?"

"Is that...? No way! Are you blushing?!"

Asuka got flustered at that accusation. "D-D-Don't be ridiculous!"

"You stuttered..." A smirk appeared on Kohaku's face. "That would mean...~"

"Don't say it..."

"Oh ho? I didn't think you'd be interested in Judai that way~" Kohaku got ready to run, feeling a dark aura from her female friend.

"Kohaku!" And so began the chase.

"This can't be!" Chronos exclaimed in shock, stumbling back. "For legendary duelists to lose like this!"

"Well, my students are quite impressive, aren't they? They were amazing-nya," Daitokuji said. Pharaoh licked the blonde teacher.

"Gah! A cat! It's a cat! On cats I'm not to keen, no! _Cappuccino!_ "

"We did it! All thanks to you, Shou!" Judai cheered.

"Big Bro... I... I..." Shou was speechless, as he wiped away his happy tears.

"We won. Fair enough, agreed?"

"You have shown us a fine duel. Naturally, your expulsions will be dropped," Samejima confirmed.

"Awright!" Judai then realized something. "I almost forgot." He did his victory pose. "Gotcha! That was a fun duel! Let's duel again, okay?"

"Hmm... If you have that much energy left, allow me to give you some homework." Judai flinched at the principal's forced offer. "Your expulsions have been dropped this time, but your penalty for entering a restricted area will be different. You will turn in a thirty-page report on dueling strategies."

The two reds groaned at the punishment, Judai more than Shou.

"Wait! But Kohaku didn't tell us about this!"

"She was an exception, considering that she already got into that life-and-death duel and... that one other thing during the duel."

"Can you do that?" the 'Elemental Hero' duelist asked.

"Keep it up. I'll leave you to oversee things, Daitokuji-kun."

"Yes sir. Leave it to me-nya," the Osiris Headmaster replied.

"No way! A thirty-page report is torture!" Judai complained. Shou looked back at his brother in the audience, both mentally telling each other that the younger will get stronger enough for them both to duel. "Okay, let's get back to the dorm. We're pulling an all-nighter."

"An all-nighter?!" Shou questioned his idea.

"But c'mon! Why's this always-?!" Judai sighed, not bothering to question their misfortune. "This after we won the duel... what a joke... This is so- what's it called? Yeah! Unreasonable, you know!"

At that point, everyone applauded for their stay at Duel Academia.


	9. Promotion Duel

**Coral: This would be an embarrassing chapter for a certain duelist.  
**

 **Aki: Why?**

 **Coral: You'll see. For those of you who will wonder what the clothes look like, for the first one, it's what female gymnastics in the Olympics wear. As for the other two after it, go onto Youtube and search Seiten Galaxy Cross. Go to the video that has a picture of two girls, one pink-haired and the other blue-haired, with blue sleeves and a shooting star as the background. The video is also two minutes and eleven seconds.**

 **Aki: Not good at thinking up your own clothes huh?**

 **Coral: Just idol and performer's clothes. Oh, and before I forget, you may have noticed from the title that this is the rank-up duel, however I am not doing a Bastion vs. Chazz duel. And yes I know the characters' English version name. Sorry to those who wanted to see that duel. Also, I seem to have realized that I never did a disclaimer for this story. Better late than never. I don't own Yugioh GX. I own Kohaku Fiore and the Circus Freak deck. A5L owns Alejandro Nagase and Generalhyna owns Arabella Rosalina. I own some cards in Arabella Rosalina's deck. Now then, everybody. Without further ado... ENJOY~!**

 **Aki: And here I thought you stopped doing that loud voice thing.**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 ** _*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*_**

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

It's been a couple of days since Judai and Shou's Punishment Duel. Since then, things were basically back to normal for them and Kohaku. Unless if you count the different treatment she's been getting. After finding out that she was a girl, all the students, Obelisks included, had been treating her as though she was an Obelisk herself. Either it was because of her gender or that she had almost died. Either way, it was hard for her to be herself. The only people who didn't treat her differently were, of course, Judai and the rest.

"Send it flying, Judai~!" cheered the Osiris. Currently the Reds were up against the female Blues in baseball in gym class. Surprisingly, the girls were just as atheletic as the boys plus Kohaku. Speaking of, due to how uneven the amount of boys and girls were, she had to swap out to even up the numbers.

"Big Bro, we're counting on you!" Shou shouted.

"All right! Leave it to me!" Judai replied. "If I fire another one, add one... two... three runs, and I'll have this all settled!"

Kohaku sighed, looking back at the scoreboard. "Time out! Pause the game!" she called.

"Kohaku? What's wrong?" Asuka asked her teammate.

"Pitcher change. Let me pitch."

"Are you sure?" the current pitcher, Arabella Rosaline, or Bella for short, asked.

Kohaku met Bella yesterday. That time, the former was on her way to the academy's card shop. She got a message earlier on her Duel Pilot saying there was a package for her there. Around the time she was walking there, several students rushed to the shop as well. She had assumed it was for some rare cards. Little did she know, it was actually for a sandwich. It wasn't just any sandwich; it was the Golden Eggwich, a highly desirable food among the students. Each day they would try and get one from a box filled with other drawbreads. They're all wrapped the same and used the same kind of thick bun, it wasn't easy to tell which was the Golden Eggwich. Bella was also one of the people who wanted to get it but...

* * *

 _ ***FLASHBACK***_

"Out of the way!" Kohaku turned and saw Bella running to her at full speed. Without any time to react, the two crashed, sending the Osiris female with the Obelisk female back several feet. They eventually skidded to a stop, Kohaku on her back with Bella on top of her. Now, because of the former's clothes, if it wasn't for the fact that everyone already knew about her being a girl, it would've caused a horrible misunderstanding for the performer.

"AH! _S-Sorry_!" Bella quickly moved away, mistook her for a he. After taking a better look, she noticed that the he was Kohaku. "Oh, it's only you."

"You made it sound like you know me when I don't know you," Kohaku said. "Why is the world spinning?"

" _Sorry_ about that. My name is Arabella Rosalina. But you can call me Bella."

Kohaku got up, fully recovered from the hit. "Isn't that a girl's name?" she asked, since Bella was in a boy's Obelisk uniform.

"I know I'm wearing male Obelisk uniform, but I'm really a girl."

"Oh, so kind of like me. Well, nice to meet you, Bella. I'm Fiore Kohaku."

" _Yeah, I know,_ " Bella said in English. "Glad that you're better."

"Thanks. Don't know how either. My friend told me what happened since I somehow forgot what my Punishment Duel was like and he and all my other friends were really surprised that I recovered so fast!"

"Amnesia? That wasn't suppose to happen, was it?" Although she whispered the question, Kohaku got confused as to why she asked that and what she meant by it.

"I suppose it's because she's human," came a voice. Appearing next to her was a faint image of a white guy with a ninja headband and multiple piercings on his face and three spike piercings in each ear, wearing a black robe.

"A Duel Monster spirit?!" Kohaku gasped.

"Huh?" Both the spirit and his duelist turned to her.

"You can see him?" Bella asked.

"Yeah, because I have one too." The moment Kohaku gave her explanation, Time Space Magician revealed himself.

"A pleasure to meet another like my lady," he said, bowing.

" _Whoa! No way!_ " It was then the two got to know each other and became friends.

* * *

 _ ***END OF FLASHBACK***_

"Leave it to me, Bella~" Kohaku assured.

" _Okay_. Kohaku's pitching now!" Bella tossed the ball and glove to the temporary teammate.

"So you've finally show up, Kohaku. But still, I'm going to drive your pitch all the way there!" Judai challenged.

"Then how about a bet? If you can hit my pitch and strike me out, I'll do what you say for three days!" Kohaku betted.

"In that case, if you can strike me out and you hit my pitch, I'll do the same for that exact amount!" he accepted.

"Don't come crying to me, Judai!"

"Same should be said to you!"

"Judai! Be careful!" Alex warned.

"Don't worry!" the 'Elemental Hero' duelist waved off the warning.

Things got heated up between the current batter and pitcher.

"Here goes! **Beast Hunter!** " Kohaku pitched a fastball. Said ball, though, didn't seem like a fastball, not with how it just sped past Judai and went in the catcher's glove. And all within a couple of seconds.

"..."

"..."

"... HUH?!" Both the Reds and the female Blues gasped at what had happened, even Judai was shocked, excluding Alex.

"W-W-What just happened?!" Shou questioned.

"I was watching some Animer Circus's old performances, and one of them included Kohaku throwing a ball at lightning speed. And the video was a few years back," Alex announced.

"You said this now?!" most of his teammates questioned.

"Ready to give up, Judai?" Kohaku asked.

"What? I said I'll hit your pitch!" Judai stayed in his position and got ready to bat.

"That was your last chance, Judai. Be prepared!" Kohaku pitched again. This time Judai swung, but he missed. The male Osiris got into a more comfortable batting position and seemed more ready to hit the ball.

Kohaku lowered her head, casting a shadow over hear eyes as she concentrated on her next pitch. Once ready, she tightened the grip on the baseball and pitched. Judai swung his bat and hit it. Well, he hit the ball, but it SOMEHOW broke the bat and in the catcher's glove, forcing the poor girl back a couple feet. The two teams, minus Kohaku, replayed what had happened in their heads.

"..."

"..."

"... WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!" they all yelled in disbelief.

"I believe that's strikeout, Judai~!" Kohaku spoke.

The brunette stood, dumbfounded at the event that had occurred.

It was now the girls' turn to bat. Judai was the one pitching this time. So far he got two girls out, but as for three other girls, he let them walk a base.

"Time out!" Shou, who was catcher for Osiris, called. "Big Bro, what are you doing? You got two outs, but you let three walk for no good reason!"

"Hahaha. I let them walk on purpose," he replied.

"Huh?"

"Why?" the Reds around him asked.

"Judai! That's sexual harassment!" Junko called from one of the bases.

"No, it's not like that. If I didn't, we wouldn't get to Kohaku," the pitching duelist corrected.

"Huh?! Big Bro, don't tell me you're actually going along with Kohaku's bet!" Shou cried.

"I am. Besides, I gotta get back at her!" Judai looked at the current batter. "Kohaku! This time, I will strike you out!"

"I'd like to see you try, Judai~" the 'Circus Freak' duelist challenged. "The moment you pitch that ball, it will get sent flying out of here!"

"Let's duel!"

"Come, _hero-boy_!"

Both duelists were all fired up, hot red aura can be seen radiating off them.

"Kohaku! You can do it!" Momoe cheered from a base she was at.

"Hit a nice one!" Asuka supported.

"Leave it to me!" Kohaku shouted back.

"Here it is, Kohaku! Take this! **I'm a Hero!** " Judai pitched the ball. Unfortunately for him, Kohaku batted it hard and out of the field.

As the girls ran to finish the homerun their temporary teammate hit, they heard a crash from the direction the ball went. Of course, it sounded too big to be the ball itself, which meant that Kohaku would be paying someone's doctor for their injury.

Judai and Shou ran to the direction of the crash.

"Sorry about that!" Judai apologized to the person who was hit. The person got out from the mess he/she made, revealed him/herself to be the one person both Red students didn't wish to see.

"AHH! You again! The dropout boy- _na no ne!_ " Chronos shouted, his left eye covered by the baseball that Kohaku hit.

"Aah! We're sorry!" Shou apologized, as he and Judai got on their knees, ready for any kind of scolding that will be heard.

"A-Are you all right, Professor?" Judai asked.

"Sorry! I was the one who hit the ball!" Kohaku confessed, not wanting her two friends accused for what she did.

Chronos looked up and slightly freaked out at seeing Kohaku. "S-Signora Kohaku!" He then had a face of realization, as he jumped onto his feet and looked away from the group. "Signora Kohaku defeated a Ghoul and had defeated many Obelisk Blues- _na no ne._ In addition to have her accept my forgiveness, I could also use her to replace Manjoume..."

"You do realize we can hear you, right?" said girl spoke. Chronos flinched at her words. "And am I going to foot your doctor's bill?"

" _Non! Non! Non! Non!_ " the ex-Headmaster spun around and declined. "The academy is tolerant towards trusting duelists such as yourself. Instead-" Before he could say anymore, he noticed Judai and Shou trying to listen in on the conversation. "This has nothing to do with you two! Shoo! Shoo! Shoo! _Sashisuse_ -shoo!"

Both boys fled. "We're sorry!"

Chronos turned to Kohaku, ball now dropped to show his now black eye. "So, Signora Kohaku, despite the interference, there will be a condition in place of my doctor's fee. And that is..."

* * *

 ** _*LATER*_**

"Oi! Drink and message! Over here!" Manjoume ordered as he lounged on his seat.

"What's with him?" an Obelisk asked one of his friends.

"What's the matter?"

"What is he thinking? Who does he think he is?" one of those friends wondered out loud.

"Hey, damn it!" Manjoume called, demanding an answer to his question.

"Manjoume, where do you think you're sitting?" another Obelisk asked, walking up to him.

"Where?"

"This isn't your seat anymore, you know. So move it."

"What are you talking about?! My name's right here on this se-" Manjoume looked at his table where his name tag should've been and saw it gone. "It's gone!"

"Of course it is. You were moved right over there." The Obelisk talking to him pointed at his new assigned seat.

"What was that? A seat change?" Manjoume looked at his new seat, which was a the right side of the room, around the corner. "And in that corner to boot?! Professor Chronos! What is the meaning of this?! Why was I moved to that seat?!"

The still-black-eyed professor was walking to his desk. "Why? Because you, Signore, lost to an Osiris Red student. And that is not all. Signore, tomorrow, you must duel with Osiris Red's Fiore Kohaku with a dorm change at stake!"

"That doesn't make any sense! If I lose, I'll be demoted to Ra Yellow?"

"Now now, take your seat- your own seat." Manjoume could hear giggles from his classmates. Enraged from the humiliation, he dashed out of class.

Alex, Kohaku, and Bella, who happened to have the same class as him, were also in the room. Unlike everyone else, they didn't join in on the laugh.

"You're getting a chance to be promoted to Ra Yellow?" the female Obelisk asked the entertainer.

"Yeah."

"I thought you weren't one who'd accept special treatment," Alex recalled.

"Chronos also wanted to make this his way of saying sorry for almost making me die."

"Signora! You said you'd forgive me!" Chronos happened to overhear.

"I do forgive you. That's why I agreed to the duel. And why you agreed to the other thing."

"Other thing?" her friends repeated.

"Oh right... Signore Alex. Along with Signora Kohaku, you will also be dueling with an Obelisk Blue tomorrow for a dorm change."

"I thought I told you about me and special treatments," the Light and Darkness duelist said to his friend.

"You did, but I didn't want to go up a rank without you. After all, we're not just friends; we're rivals. And how can you be my number one rival if you stay below me?" Kohaku asked.

"I won't accept special treatments."

"Hmm? Don't tell me... You're admitting you're weaker than me?"

Apparently that got his attention. "What did you say?"

"You're not stronger than me, are you? Then again, I always win every duel against you, so maybe you aren't a worthy rival." This got them both to bash their heads, having another rivalry, or to others 'married-couple', moments.

"I dare you to repeat that after I win that duel."

"I'd like to see you try and beat an Obelisk."

"Have you forgotten that I have?"

"Okay, maybe you can, in Tag Teams!"

"Are you implying that I can't on my own?!"

"I am indeed!"

"As much as I don't want to bother a lover's quarrel, I'd like you both to be silent during class," Chronos spoke.

"WE'RE NOT LOVERS!" they both yelled at his face, making him jump and land on his butt.

" _Sure act like one_ ," Bella muttered in English.

They heard and understood what she muttered and turned to her with a pair of scary faces. "WHAT?!"

"N-N-Nothing!"

* * *

 _ ***LATER***_

"So Kohaku, what's your first order?" Judai asked. Being a man of his word, he's starting his first day of the three-day slave deal.

"Ah. So many things," Kohaku spoke with a smirk.

"Yet another side we've never seen," Shou said to Alex and Bella, the latter who wanted to join in on the event.

"Didn't think she was this evil," the Obelisk said.

"You think this is evil, you should've seen when she was training Judai and Shou. That was menacing," Alex told her. Shou got chills from the memory of the so-called training.

"Oooh! I know~!" came Kohaku's voice.

"W-What? Why don't I like this?" followed Judai's scared tone.

* * *

The group all got into Kohaku's room, all waiting for Judai to come out of the bathroom in her room.

"Come on Judai~" the owner of the room called.

"Do I have to?" the 'Elemental Hero' duelist growled.

"I need to see if it will fit me."

Reluctantly, the door opened and revealed Judai... in a red gymnastic outfit and orange frilly skirt. Seeing him like that brought laughs to his friends.

"Yeah... Laugh it off..." the unfortunate boy muttered, gritting his teeth.

" _Smile_ ~" Bella took out her Duel Pilot and set it on camera, taking a photo of Judai in his condition.

"OI! Don't take my pictures!" he screamed.

"Kohaku! You in here?!" came Hayato's voice from outside the room.

"Hayato! Whatever you do, don't-!" Just when Judai was about to tell his koala-face friend not to open the door, the door was opened, revealing not only Hayato, but Asuka and Misawa as well. The three of them stood in shock at Judai's... 'choice of clothing'. Silence filled the room, only to be broken by laughter from the newcomers.

"J-Judai... What are you... haha... wearing...?" Asuka managed to ask.

"Looks like... gymnastics clothes..." Misawa managed to answer.

"Judai, I never thought you were into skirts," Hayato joked, causing more laughs, with the rest of the gang, minus the 'Elemental Hero' duelist, joining in.

"Sure... Laugh..." Judai gritted his teeth.

"But why are you in that?" Misawa asked, calming down... Until he looked at Judai again.

"Can I change back?!" Judai asked his 'temporary master'.

"Hmmm... Nope," was the answer.

"You made him wear that?" Asuka asked, trying to avoid looking at Judai so she won't laugh to death.

"It was the bet they made, _remember_?" Bella reminded her fellow female blue.

"He really went with it?"

"Why is he in that if he isn't?"

"I guess." Asuka took an accidental peek and tried to hide her laugh.

"Okay, I guess fun's over for now," Kohaku spoke.

"Thank you!" Judai shouted, completely grateful.

"Now I would like you to try one of these for me." Kohaku took out a pair of blue, strapless, sexy dresses.

One was quite revealing, only covering the chest and upper back, revealing the stomach and lower back, as well as extermely short shorts, revealing the legs. There were blue frills below the chest pads and sparkling blue ribbons on the back of the shorts. It also came with long blue sleeves with pink silks on each end. As for the other dress, it was similar to the first one, only less revealing and, instead of shorts, had a short pink skirt.

Just imagining Judai in them was enough for his friends to explode in another laughter.

"So~? Which one~?" Kohaku teasingly asked.

The 'Elemental Hero' duelist gritted his teeth. "... The one with the shorts..." The 'Circus Freak' duelist handed him the asked dress. Judai went back into the bathroom. "By the way, what were you and Professor Chronos talking about?"

"Now that he mentioned it, you two were walking about something," Shou recalled.

"You mean you didn't hear?" Alex asked.

"Well, not all news spread like wildfire on the island," Bella reasoned.

"I guess so. Apparently, Kohaku's going to have a Promotion Duel."

"Really?!" Judai slammed the door open, revealing him in his... unexpected pony undies... All the girls turned away from the sight.

"And now I have another reason as to why you have to try on those clothes..." Kohaku said, covering her eyes.

Judai, realizing his mistake, blushed and immediately closed the door and resumed changing.

"That was... something..." Misawa spoke in the embarrassing silence.

"You girls can turn around and uncover your eyes now," Alex assured.

The three females did so out of relief. "So, as Alex was saying, I am going to have a Promotion Duel. Alex will too," Kohaku explained.

"Really?" Asuka asked.

"It was actually Kohaku's condition if she accepts the Promotion Duel," Bella explained.

"Condition?"

"That Promotion Duel is also Professor Chronos' way of saying sorry for having me duel against a former Ghoul and almost die in that duel," the female Osiris explained.

"But I thought he was relieved of his position as Headmaster," Shou said.

"He's getting permission from Professor Ayukawa to host the duel."

"Well, if it's his way of saying sorry, I guess it can't be helped," Hayato said.

"I should tell my Headmaster about this then, because knowing you and Alex, you're both sure to pass with flying colors," Misawa said.

"Think again," the Light and Darkness user corrected. "We're both going up against Obelisk Blues for our Promotion Duel."

"WHAT?!" the whole group, minus Bella and Kohaku, shouted, Judai slamming the door open, revealing him in the dress that he had to wear.

Silence filled the room once more, only to be broken by laughter again.

"J-J-Judai... T-That looks... too good on you...!" Kohaku laughed.

" _Say cheese_ ~" Bella took more pictures.

"Don't take my pictures, damn it!" Judai screeched, trying to block the camera flashes.

"You want to wear the other one? Or stay out here and have Bella take more pics?" his 'master' asked with a smirk.

"You're evil..."

"No, I'm a performer." Judai took the other dress and went back in the bathroom.

"Still, Obelisk Blues? And you're both Osiris Reds, going to be Ra Yellows," Shou pointed out. "They should might as well just put you both in Obelisk Blue when you win."

"It can't be helped. Besides, last time I remember, Judai dueled Manjoume and beat him, giving him the promotion to be in Ra Yellow, which he declined," Alex recalled.

"That's true," Hayato agreed.

"Speaking of, just so happens that my opponent is Manjoume," Kohaku confessed.

"Really?" Asuka asked.

"Good luck. He's actually strong," Judai warned in the bathroom. "If it wasn't for Winged Kuriboh, I would've lost." To Kohaku, Bella, and Hayato, they both heard something that sounded like 'Kuri Kuri'.

"Thanks, Judai," the soon-to-be Ra Yellow duo thanked.

"By the way, Kohaku, why are you having me try on these clothes?"

" _Now that he mentioned it_ , aren't those the clothes your dad sent the other day?" Bella asked.

"Yeah. They are," the 'Circus Freak' duelist answered.

"But why?"

"He sent a letter with the package, saying something about a performance coming up soon."

"HUH?! Animer Circus is going to be here?!" Shou shouted.

"No way!" Asuka gasped.

"Are you serious?!" Alex questioned.

"He didn't say that he'll be coming, but that's a possibility. And even if he is coming, he didn't really say when. It could be days, weeks or months from now. So I'm guessing he sent those in case he got too busy and forget about them. Still, it'd be nice if they come soon. I've been wondering how everyone's doing since the disbandment. Even if it's one performance, it'll be more than enough time for us to be together again." All of Kohaku's friends smiled at those words, easily telling how much she's looking forward to the meeting more than any of them. "Judai, you done yet?"

"Do I have to do this?!" And so they continued on with their day.

* * *

 _ ***LATER (A LOT OF LATERS AREN'T THERE?)***_

"You sure it's okay for me to stay with you in your room tonight, Bella?" Kohaku asked. After trying on another dress... Apparently Judai suddenly had a rash attack from it, causing him to move around and cause a huge mess in Kohaku's room. Most of the mess was cleaned up, all that was left was the bunk bed. Due to how late it was and Kohaku and Alex need to get up early in the morning for their Promotion Duel, though, there weren't any time to fix the beds. Luckily, Bella offered Kohaku to stay over for the night.

"Of course I'm sure," the new female friend answered.

"It's late and you need all the energy for your duel in the morning," Asuka pointed out.

"I suppose so." Kohaku stopped in her tracks.

"What's wrong?"

"I strangely feel like I forgot something," the Entertainment Duelist answered.

"What would you have forgotten?" Bella asked.

"I don't know. I put those performer's clothes back in the drawers, I grabbed my deck and duel disk in case I woke up late and have no time to go back to my dorm. I even brought my pajamas... Why do I have this feeling like I forgot something?"

"It's probably your imagination if you don't remember," Asuka guessed.

"Probably."

* * *

 _ ***THE NEXT DAY***_

Both Kohaku and Bella woke up early the next morning. They had breakfast and were on their way to the stadium for Kohaku and Alex's duel. On their way, they met up with Judai, Shou, Hayato and Alex, all soaking wet and running towards them.

"Kohaku! It's terrible!" Judai shouted.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Your cards... They got washed up!" Shou explained, as he and the other male reds took out wet cards, revealing them all to be her Circus Freak deck.

"What?!" the two girls gasped.

"But I thought you have your deck!" Bella said.

"I should," Kohaku replied. She took her opened her deck box from her deck holder on her belt. It had a deck, but when Kohaku took it out... "This... isn't my Circus Freak deck..."

"Now what do we do?!" Hayato asked.

"We don't have the time to dry these cards!" Alex exclaimed.

"I guess I'll have to duel with this one then," the performer decided.

"Are you sure? Do you know how to use it?" Judai asked.

"Don't worry about it." With that, Kohaku continued on to the stadium, her friends following her.

* * *

They got to the duel stadium. Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, there was an audience, all waiting for the duel to start.

"What's going on?" Kohaku asked.

"I guess everyone wants to see the school's entertainer get promoted to Ra Yellow," Hayato guessed.

"That they do," came Misawa's voice. The group turned and saw him not far from them in the audience. "The news spread about the duel, and a lot of people really want to see Kohaku go up a rank."

"Whoa. You're even more popular than Big Bro," Shou complimented the female Osiris.

"She is indeed. In fact, ever since Kohaku revealed her true gender, there was even a fan club dedicated for her."

"Now that's unexpected. And she hasn't been here that long," Hayato spoke in shock.

"Looks like you're the real number two, Number One," the Ra Yellow said to Judai.

"Not unless I beat her in a duel," the Elemental Hero duelist retorted.

"Don't forget this is still day two of that bet," the Circus Freak duelist reminded, having Judai cringed at the reminder.

"Signora Kohaku. I see you've arrived," came Chronos' voice.

Next to him on the field were Eri and Manjoume. "I thought you ran with your tail between your legs."

"Manjoume! I see. So that's how it is!" Judai exclaimed, grasping the situation. "You were the one who threw away Kohaku's cards!"

"What did you say?!" Chronos gasped.

"Excuse me?!" Eri followed.

They weren't the only one. Every student in the stadium were also shocked, not believing that an Obelisk Blue would be that low when it comes to dueling with a dorm change at stake. Well, the male Obelisks were infuriated that someone of their rank made their dorm look bad.

"What are you falsely accusing me of, Judai?" Manjoume asked in an innocent tone. "Why would I-?"

"I wonder if it was a false accusation," came Asuka's voice. The group turned and saw...

"Asuka, Kaiser Ryo..." Judai identified.

"I happened to see it," Asuka continued. "I saw you, Manjoume-kun, tossed Kohaku's cards into the sea." Everyone was in deeper shock at the truth being spoken.

"That was a dirty move, Manjoume! So you really did do it!" Judai snarled.

"Shut it! I threw away some of my own cards! Or was there a name or something written on those cards?" the black-haired Obelisk lied.

"Sounds like a bunch of baloney if you ask me," came a female. They turned to the source and saw a female Obelisk Blue with a scar on her cheek with her arms crossed. "If anything, you're just making excuses so you can stay in Obelisk. What's the matter? Scared of losing your pride when you lose to another dropout like you did the first time?"

"What was that?! You have no proof that those cards were her's! Like I said, I threw away my own cards!"

Judai couldn't believe his ears. "Manjoume!"

"It's okay, Judai," Kohaku calmed her friend..

"But-!"

"You're going to take responsibility for accusing me of being a thief," Manjoume interrupted. "What do you say to the loser of this duel getting expelled?" He asked Chronos.

"That's totally unreasonable! Now that Kohaku lost her cards, she-!" Judai was interrupted by a karate-chop to his head. "K-Kohaku?!"

"It'll be okay, Judai. Even if we are friends, you worry too much about me," Kohaku said in a carefree tone.

"How can you be carefree at a time like this?!" all her friends demanded.

"Anyway, Professor Chronos, who'll be Alex's opponent?"

"Don't change the subject!"

"Though I would like to know myself," the Light and Darkness duelist muttered.

"I'm glad you asked. You see, Signore Alejandro, you'll be facing Obelisk Blue's Signora Arabella Rosalina! And they will be the first to duel!"

"HUH?!" the two duelists gasped in shock.

" _Wait a second_! You said nothing about me dueling Alex!" Bella told him.

"The match-up was just made," Chronos explained.

"That's unreasonable!"

"Yeah! Besides, since it was just made, she might not have her deck! I'm not going up a rank because of that!" Alex agreed and added.

"I actually do have my deck." Bella took out a deck.

"You can borrow my Duel Disk then," Kohaku offered.

" _Thank you_. So, can we duel? Or are you scared of losing to an Obelisk girl?"

"I'm not scared! Let's go!" Alex and Bella both got into position.

"Well this is something. My best friend is going up against my new friend, whose deck I don't know yet, and I don't know who to cheer for," Kohaku spoke.

"I think I know how you feel," Shou said, recalling the day of the promotion exam.

Alex and Bella both drew their starting hand. "DUEL!"

 **Alex: 4000 LP  
** **Bella: 4000 LP**

"Ladies first! Draw!" Bella drew her sixth card. "I summon Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Naruto in attack mode!" A boy with blonde spiky hair in a jumpsuit appeared on her field.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Naruto: Level 4/WIND/Warrior/1400 ATK/800 DEF**

"Yosh! Looks like it's my turn to start!" the monster exclaimed in a carefree tone.

' _Looks like she wasn't kidding when she said that all her monsters have a spirit,_ ' Kohaku thought.

"Calm down, Naruto. I set two cards face-down and end my turn," Bella ended.

"My turn. Draw!" Alex drew his sixth card. "If you're going to have out a ninja, then so will I. I summon Ninja Master Sasuke!" An armored ninja wearing a mask, green robe and equipped with two daggers appeared on his field.

 **Ninja Master Sasuke: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/1800 ATK/1000 DEF**

"I attack your monster with Sasuke! **Ninja Strike!** " Alex's ninja went in to attack Naruto.

"I activate Naruto's monster effect! When targeted for an attack, I discard one card from my hand to negate this card's destruction and Special Summon a Shadow Clone Token! **Shadow Clone Jutsu!** " Bella countered, sending one of her remaining three cards from her hand to the grave. As she did so, Naruto somehow withstood the attack and pushed his opponent back. Afterwards, he summoned a clone of himself in Defense Mode.

 **Shadow Clone Token: Level 2/WIND/Warrior/700 ATK/400 DEF**

 **Alex: 4000 LP  
** **Bella: 3600 LP**

"I set two cards face-down and end my turn," Alex ended.

"My turn. Before I draw, I activate my trap card, Call of the Living Dead! This brings back Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Sakura, whom I discarded using Naruto's effect, from the graveyard!" A pink-haired girl wearing a red robe appeared on the field.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Sakura: Level 4/EARTH/Warrior/1200 ATK/1700 DEF**

"Hey there, Sakura!" Naruto greeted.

"Hi." The female ninja just gave him the cold shoulder.

"Eh hehehe... Anyway, draw!" Bella drew her next card. "During my standby Phase, I activate Sakura's effect. She gives me 900 Life Points during each Standby Phase while she's on the field. **Mystical Palm Technique.** " The female ninja went over to her owner and healed her.

 **Alex: 4000 LP**  
 **Bella: 4500 LP**

"Feel better?" Sakura asked, finishing her healing.

"Much better. Thanks," the Obelisk replied. "Now next, I summon Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Sasuke with them!" A boy with black spiky hair wearing a blue shirt and white pants and sandals appeared on the field with them.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Sasuke: Level 4/FIRE/Warrior/1600 ATK/1000 DEF**

"Not you again," Naruto complained.

"Quit complaining. Besides, it's not like it can be helped," Sasuke said.

"He's right, Naruto," Sakura supported.

"Next I activate the Magic Card, Sensei and Student! This card activates if I have three 'Konohagakure Shinobi' monsters on the same team! I Special Summon from my hand or deck one 'Konohagakure Shinobi' monster with a different name but on the same team as them. Come forth, Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Kakashi!" This time, an adult ninja whose face is mostly covered appeared, filling up all the Monster Zone.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Kakashi: Level 6/LIGHT/Warrior/2300 ATK/1900 DEF**

"Well, looks like a full house," the new monster stated.

"Battle! I attack Ninja Master Sasuke with Kakashi! **Chidori!** " The level-6 monster charged lightning in his fist, bringing it down on Alex's monster.

 **Alex: 3500 LP  
** **Bella: 4500 LP**

"I activate my Trap Card! Rope of Life! By discarding my whole hand, I can bring back 1 monster that was sent to the Graveyard by battle! Then that monster's ATK points increases by 800!" Alex's ninja came back on the field.

 **Ninja Master Sasuke: 1800 + 800 = 2600 ATK**

"I end my turn," Bella finished.

"My turn!" Alex drew his next card. "Ninja Master Sasuke! Attack Kakashi! **Ninja Strike!** " The revived monster once again battled the monster that destroyed it.

 **Alex: 3500 LP  
** **Bella: 4200 LP**

" _You're too naive!_ " Bella shouted.

"What?!"

"Kakashi's monster effect! After Damage Calculation, even if this card leaves the field, the monster that battles it is also destroyed! **Lightning Release: Lightning Beast Tracking Fang!** " Before Kakashi leaves the field, he summoned a hound mad of lightning and made it attack Ninja Master Sasuke.

"No way!" Alex gasped at the result of the battle.

"Whoa! Even thought he's destroyed, Bella just took Sasuke down with Kakashi!" Judai gasped.

"That's the way of the ninja," Misawa spoke. "Even in their moments of death, they carry out their mission and complete it."

"Now what will you do, Alex?" Bella asked.

"I summon D.D. Warrior Lady in Defense Mode and end my turn!" Alex ended, summoning his female warrior.

 **D.D. Warrior Lady: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/1500 ATK/1600 DEF**

"My turn. Draw!" Bella drew her next card. "Sakura's special ability activates! **Mystical Palm Technique!** " Sakura once again gave Bella Life Points.

 **Alex: 3500 LP  
** **Bella: 5100 LP**

"Now Bella's Life Points is over 5000," Shou announced.

"At this rate, Alex will lose," Hayato said in a worried tone.

"I activate Sasuke's monster effect! Once per turn, he can copy one monster's effect on my opponent's side of the field!" Bella exclaimed.

"But that would mean-!" Alex spoke, knowing her plan.

"Sasuke! Copy D.D. Warrior Lady! **Sharingan!** " The black-haired ninja's black eyes went red as he copied Alex's lone monster's effect. "Battle! Sasuke attacks D.D. Warrior Lady! **Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!** " Sasuke blew a huge fireball at the female warrior, who withstood the attack. "After Damage Calculation, Sasuke's monster effect! The monster it battles is banished, along with Sasuke!" The fire engulfed the two Warrior-types, removing them from play.

"This is bad! Alex will lose most of his Life Points!" Shou cried out.

"Alex! Hang in there!" Judai called.

"I end my turn," was Bella's next move. This brought confusion to everyone around her, except a few who knew the reason.

"Hey, what's wrong?!" "Why didn't you attack?!" "You could've beat him!" some blues demanded.

"I don't want to end the duel so early. Besides, _if anything,_ I want to go up, against one of your dragons!" Bella told Alex.

"So that's why. Okay, I'll have at least one of them out soon enough!" Alex assured. "My turn, draw! I activate Painful Choice! I reveal five cards from my deck. You get to choose which of the five I can add to my hand while the rest goes to the Graveyard!" Alex revealed Dark Armed Dragon, Lightray Diabolos, Darkflare Dragon, Lightpulsar Dragon and White Horn Dragon.

"Hmm... This is hard to choose..."

"Choose that one! The one that looks like a dragon in a black spiky armor!" Naruto called.

"You crazy? That blue one in silver armor looks gorgeous~" Sakura chose. "Besides, look at its level! The blue one needs one tribute while the one you want needs two, I bet."

"How do you know?! Besides, I want to fight it!"

"No way! And look at its power! You'll feel its punch for the whole week!"

"Heads it's Naruto's choice, tails it's Sakura's choice," Bella muttered, taking out a coin. She flipped it and caught it, revealing it to be heads. "Looks like it's Dark Armed Dragon!"

"Then to my hand he goes!" Alex sent the rest of his cards to the grave. "And you know, I should thank you. Because in my Graveyard are Darkflare Dragon, Double Coston, and White Horn Dragon. All three are DARK-Attribute. And when there are exactly three DARK monsters in my Grave, Dark Armed Dragon gets Special Summoned from my hand!"

"What?!" his opponent and her monsters gasped, as one of his strongest monsters appeared before them.

 **Dark Armed Dragon: Level 7/DARK/Dragon/2800 ATK/1000 DEF**

"Naruto! Why did you have to challenge that thing?!" Sakura demanded.

"Finally! A challenge!" the blonde boy ignored her.

"Bella! Next time Naruto wants something, don't give him what he wants!"

"G-Got it..." the Obelisk replied in a whispered tone.

' _Poor Bella,_ ' Kohaku thought, being the one of the very few who knows what was really happening.

' _Glad I'm not in her shoes,_ ' Judai also thought, being the other of the very few.

"I activate Dark Armed Dragon's monster effect! Once per turn, by banishing a DARK monster in my Graveyard, I destroy one card you control! **Dark Armed Breaker!** " The big dragon shot out its spikes at Naruto, destroying him.

"Well, he got what he wanted..." Sakura said.

"And now, I'll have Dark Armed Dragon attack Sakura! **Dark Armed Destroyer!** " The dragon threw a fearsome punch at the pink-haired ninja.

"I activate my Trap Card, Substitute!" Bella countered. "When a 'Shinobi' monster I control is targeted for an attack, I can Special Summon this card as a monster and redirect the attack to this card!" Appearing in front of Sakura is a dummy made of wood.

 **Substitute: Level 1/EARTH/Warrior/0 ATK/2000 DEF**

Apparently, it didn't stay long enough, for it got destroyed by Alex's dragon.

"I end my turn."

"My turn. Draw! And Sakura's monster effect activates! **Mystical Palm Technique!** "

 **Alex: 3500 LP  
** **Bella: 6000 LP**

"I summon Konohagakure Shinobi Team 10 Ino in Attack Mode!" A blonde female ninja in purple ninja clothes appeared next to Sakura and Naruto's Shadow Clone.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 10 Ino: Level 4/WATER/Warrior/1000 ATK/800 DEF**

"Now I activate her effect! By discarding one card from my hand to the graveyard, I can take control of one monster my opponent controls!"

"Come over here, you dragon!" Ino ordered, taking control over the Dark Armed Dragon.

"But if she does that, then Alex is a goner and he won't go to Ra Yellow!" Shou shouted, as Alex's only monster got swapped over to the other side.

"I end my turn."

"Or not," Hayato added, as Bella ended her turn.

Many of the Obelisk Blues are starting to dislike Bella's way of dueling. Most of them shouted that she should've just finished Alex. Little did they know, Bella knew better than to attack directly.

"What's wrong, Bella? You scared to attack? Or are you scared of revealing your true colors?!" came the female Obelisk that badmouthed Manjoume. Everyone was silent at her words. "I bet that's why. I was wondering how it is that you get along so well with some people on this island, but now I know why. You didn't tell them, did you? You witch!"

"Hey! Who are you to call Bella a witch?!" Judai scolded. "Besides, she said it herself! She wants the duel to go on as long as she possibly can! She wants to enjoy the duel, not rush it!"

"If only you know. Haven't you noticed this wretched scar on my cheek? This is all because of that witch! We were dueling and I was close to winning until she revealed who she really is! She might not be one of them at that time, but there's no doubt that she's child of a Ghoul!"

Silence engulfed the whole room.

" _W-What are you saying?_ I'm not-"

"Don't try to deny it, freak! The evidence is right here on my face!" the Obelisk interrupted Bella. "You think just because you're in a different school you can fit right in with everyone else? Think again! As long as you're alive, fitting in is-!"

"SHUT UP!" Kohaku yelled. "So what if she has powers?! It's not her fault she was born with them! And at least she's not using them to hurt anyone right now! Or are you just so blind that you think what happened once can always happen?!"

"What do you know?! Besides, it's not just me; everywhere she does, it's disaster after disaster!"

"Then why aren't there any disaster right now?"

"Please, don't tell me you forgot about that Punishment Duel of yours?"

"That was more than a week ago! I met Bella a couple of days ago! You can't just blame her for something she didn't do or meant to do! At least, unlike you, she has a heart! If she is a witch, she should've just beat Alex and kill him instead of not attacking him directly!"

"Just why are you covering her anyway?!"

"Because she's my friend! And she's also like a sister to me!... In fact she reminds me of my late sister..." Silence once again filled the stadium, as the students all remember the one certain incident in Kohaku's duel against Pandora.

"Kohaku..." Alex spoke out of sympathy. He shook his head and got back to the duel. "My-!" He stopped, seeing tears trailing down Bella's cheeks. "Hey! You okay?"

"Y-Yeah... Just got something in my eyes," she lied, wiping away her tears. "Resume your turn!"

"Got it. My turn! Draw!" Alex drew his next card. "I summon Kaiser Seahorse!" His sea-serpent type monster appeared on his field.

 **Kaiser Seahorse: Level 4/LIGHT/Sea-Serpent/1700 ATK/1650 DEF**

"I end my turn!"

"My turn!" Bella drew her next card. "With Sakura's effect, I gain more Life Points! **Mystical Palm Technique!** "

 **Alex: 3500 LP  
** **Bella: 6900 LP**

"And now, I attack Kaiser Seahorse with Dark Armed Dragon! **Dark Armed Destroyer!** " Alex's dragon prepared to swing its fist down on his monster.

"Trap Card open! Holy Barrier- Mirror Force!" the Osiris countered. His card summoned a force field that, not only protected his monster, but also destroyed all of Bella's, minus the Defense Position Shadow Clone Token.

"All right!" Shou cheered.

"Talk about a turnaround!" Hayato happily stated.

"To think that you had that set. I'm actually glad you did," Bella said.

"It's not like I'm going to let myself die. And how about you stop holding back?" Bella got confused at Alex's request. "Since I'm dueling against someone who can cause some real damage, I can't call myself Kohaku's rival if that person doesn't give it their all against me."

"You... You don't mind if I actually hurt you?"

"Nope. At least, not unless you mean to."

"... Okay then. You better prepare yourself next turn! I end my turn with a face-down!" the ninja duelist ended.

"My turn! Draw!" Alex smirked at the card he drew. "I release Kaiser Dragon as two tributes! To Advance Summon! Appear from the rift between light and darkness! Light and Darkness Dragon!" His ace monster emerged from Kaiser Seahorse's destroyed particles.

 **Light and Darkness Dragon: Level 8/LIGHT/Dragon/2800 ATK/2400 DEF**

"Light and Darkness Dragon! Attack that token! **Shining Breath**!" The two-attributed monster let out its dragon breath at the fake Naruto, destroying it. "I end my turn!"

"My turn. Draw!" Bella drew her card. "I summon Konohagakure Shinobi Team 10 Shikamaru in Attack Mode!" A boy with black hair pulled up in a ponytail appeared on her field.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 10 Shikamaru: Level 4/DARK/Warrior/500 ATK/1000 DEF**

"And now I activate Shikamaru's monster effect! By discarding one DARK attribute monster, I can take control of one monster my opponent controls! **Mind Body Disturbance Technique!** " Bella discarded her last card to the Graveyard, having her monster take control of another one of Alex's dragons.

"That won't happen! Light and Darkness Dragon's special ability! When a card effect activates, by paying 500 ATK and DEF, I can negate that effect! **Dark Baptism!** " The two-colored dragon let out its dark aura at the ninja, cancelling out its effect.

 **Light and Darkness Dragon: 2800 - 500 = 2300 ATK/2400 - 500 = 1900 DEF**

"That's just great..." the ninja mumbled.

"I guess I shouldn't have done that," the ninja duelist said, scratching the back of her head in embarrassment.

"You got that right," Alex said with a smirk. "You end your turn."

"Yeah."

"Then I draw." Alex drew his next card. "I summon Gaia, the Mid-Knight Sun!" A black knight with a black spear on a white horse with a black helmet on its head appeared on the field.

 **Gaia, the Polar Knight: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/1600 ATK/1200 DEF**

"Light and Darkness Dragon attacks Shikamaru! **Shining Breath!** " The dragon once again let out its breath attack on the ninja.

 **Alex: 3500 LP**  
 **Bella: 5100 LP**

"Gaia attacks the player directly! **Black** **Lance!** " The knight's horse charged towards Bella, as its owner stabbed his lance at her.

 **Alex: 3500 LP**  
 **Bella: 3500 LP**

"I end my turn."

"My turn!" Bella got prepared to draw her next card.

' _This is bad. Because of Light and Darkness Dragon's effect, no matter what I use, it'll just be negated. And with that much ATK and DEF, it'll be over for me before- Wait! That's it!_ ' Bella looked at the card in her hand. ' _I hope that card comes to me. Please... Come!_ '

"Draw!" She drew her card. "I activate Shinobi Vengeance! If I have a 'Konohagakure Shinobi' in my Graveyard, I special summon from my hand or deck a 'Konohagahure Shinobi' monster whose team number is the same as the one in my Graveyard. I used up my Team 7s, but I still have Team 10."

"Light and Darkness Dragon's monster effect! I negate your monster's effect by paying 500 of its ATK and DEF! **Dark Baptism!** " Alex countered.

"That's what I wanted to happen! I activate the Instant Magic, Tailed Beast Changer!"

"What's that?"

"Tailed Beast Changer is an Instant Magic that activates when Naruto is on the field or in the graveyard! By banishing him, I can call out the demon that resides within him! Come! Tailed Beast, Kurama!" Bella took a card from her Extra Deck and summoned a fox-like monster with nine-tails.

 **Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama: Level 9/FIRE/Beast/3000 ATK/3000 DEF**

"Great. Because Light and Darkness Dragon's effect is already activated for Shinobi Vengeance, it can't cancel out Tailed Beast Changer," Alex said, as his dragon negated said card's effect.

 **Light and Darkness Dragon: 2300 - 500 = 1800 ATK/1900 - 500 = 1400 DEF**

"Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama! Attack Light and Darkness Dragon with **Nine-Tails Beam**!" The nine-tailed fox shot a powerful beam at Alex's dragon, obliterating it.

 **Alex: 2300 LP**  
 **Bella: 3500 LP**

"This is bad. Alex's ace monster got destroyed," Shou said in a worried tone.

"Is this it?" Hayato asked.

"What are you saying? The duel's just begun," Judai said with confidence.

"Why are you making it sound like you're the one dueling, Big Bro?" the '-roid' duelist asked.

"Well, it's Judai we're talking about," Asuka replied in an obvious tone.

"Still want to keep going?" Bella asked.

"You bet! My turn. Draw!" Alex excitedly answered, drawing his next card. "I set one card face-down and switch Gaia to Defense Mode! I end my turn!"

"I draw! Kurama attacks Gaia! **Nine-Tails Beam!** And when he attacks a Defense Position monster with DEF lower than its ATK, it deals piercing damage to my opponent!" The fox once again let out a beam attack at Alex's monster, destroying it. The beam didn't stop there, for it made its way towards the opposing duelist. Alex moved to the side to avoid it, only to see the floor it hit have a new hole in it.

 **Alex: 500 LP**  
 **Bella: 3500 LP**

This frightened the audience, for they now know that everything the Obelisk said about Bella was true.

"... This is what I wanted to avoid," the psychic duelist muttered.

"You done?" her opponent asked, catching her by surprise.

"Uh... Yeah..."

"Then it's my turn!" Alex drew his next card. "I activate Pot of Greed! I draw two cards from my deck." He drew two more cards. "Next I activate my trap card, Convening of Light! By discarding all cards in my hand to the Graveyard, I add LIGHT monsters from my Graveyard to my hand. I have two cards, so I'll add two LIGHT monsters to my hand." He exchanged his cards. "Next by banishing Gaia the Polar Knight and Kaiser Seahorse from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon Lightpulsar Dragon from my hand!" A blue dragon in shining silver armor with blue lights shining around it appeared on his field.

 **Lightpulsar Dragon: Level 6/LIGHT/Dragon/2500 ATK/1500 DEF**

"I end my turn."

"No way. He's giving up?" Shou asked, sad for his friend.

"I wonder..." Kohaku muttered. "That monster card in his hand..."

"My turn. Draw!" Bella drew her next card. "Sorry Alex, but this is the end! Kurama! End this duel with **Nine-Tails Beam!** " Kurama once again let out a beam attack, ending the duel.

"That won't happen!" Alex declared. "From my hand, I activate Honest's monster effect! If a LIGHT monster I control is battling an opponent's monster, by sending this card to the Graveyard, the LIGHT monster I control gains ATK equal to the opponent's monster!"

"What?"

"Give Lightpulsar Dragon some boost, Honest! **Pulsing Light!** " An angel arrived and granted the dragon more power.

 **Lightpulsar Dragon: 2500 + 3000 = 5500 ATK**

"Now turn it around, Lightpulsar! **Pulsing Light Beam!** " The dragon sent a beam of its own from the blue crystal on its chest, deflecting the fox's beam and obliterating it, causing smoke to rise.

 **Alex: 500 LP**  
 **Bella: 1000 LP**

The crowd went a bit wild at the turnaround, mostly the reds.

"Nice one!" Shou cheered.

"Just a direct attack and it'll be over!" Hayato also cheered.

"No. It's not over yet," Misawa spoke in a serious tone.

"He's right," Ryo agreed. "Take a good look." They all looked at the smoke covering Bella's field and saw that Kurama was still alive.

"But how?!" Alex asked.

"My trap card, Miracle's Wake. If a monster I control is destroy by battle, I can always bring it back," Bella explained.

"Damn it. And here I thought I would win it."

"It's not going to be that easy. Since Honest's effect didn't end, I'll have to end my turn."

"It's at this moment that Honest's effect is over." Lightpulsar Dragon returned to its normal size.

 **Lightpulsar Dragon: 5500 - 3000 = 2500 ATK**

"And now it's my turn to play!" Alex closed his eyes, silently praying for the card he wanted at this moment.

' _Please... Come... COME!_ '

"My turn! DRAW!" Alex drew his card. " _All right!_ Things are about to get wild around here! From my hand, I summon Gaia, the Mid-Knight Sun!" A LIGHT version of Gaia the Polar Knight appeared next to Lightpulsar Dragon.

 **Gaia, the Mid-Knight Sun: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/1600 ATK/1200 DEF**

"Now I activate his effect! Once per turn, by banishing a DARK monster from my Graveyard, I can give one monster on my field 500 more ATK points!"

"Say what?!" Bella gasped.

"If he gives that power to Lightpulsar Dragon, he'll not only destroy both his dragon and Kurama..."

"He can also win this duel with Gaia," Ryo calmly finished for Asuka.

"I banish Gaia, the Polar Knight! **White Booster!** " The LIGHT-attribute Gaia granted its partner a little more boost.

 **Lightpulsar Dragon: 2500 + 500 = 3000 ATK**

"Battle! I attack Kurama with Lightpulsar Dragon! **Pulsing Light Beam!** " Both the dragon and the fox released their beam attacks, only for the two attacks to cross each other, hitting their targets. "Finish this! Mid-Knight Sun! **White Lance!** " The white knight's black horse charged at the opposing duelist, its owner ending the duel once and for all.

 **Alex: 500 LP**  
 **Bella: 0000 LP**

 **WINNER: ALEX!**

"I accept defeat," Bella said, as Alex's knight faded away.

At that point, people were all cheering for Alex. Not for his victory, however, but for beating the 'witch'.

"BE QUIET!" Alex and Kohaku shouted in unison, silencing the crowd.

"Are you all bozos or just gullible?!" Alex demanded.

"She may be a psychic duelist, but she's still human!" Kohaku shouted. "Hasn't anyone ever told you that it's not what's on the outside, but what's on the inside that counts?!"

"Who cares if she has some powers? She's still one of us! She's a human and a duelist! She has feelings like the rest of us!"

"Obelisk Blues who used money and connections to get themselves in that level as well as brag about how they're 'stronger' than everyone else are bad enough, but to think that everyone else are also like that! This makes me frustrated enough to keep me from smiling! Enough to make me remember the pain of losing my sister who was accused of murder during a duel! All because she has powers like Bella, and wasn't given a chance to explain herself!"

People were silent at the memory. Seems that the duel with Pandora really hit them hard.

"Why...?" began Bella. "Why go this far for me?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Alex asked back. "We're friends right?"

That was enough to have Bella break down in tears.

" _You guys..._ The first people to accept me for these powers besides my aunt and uncle..." Bella said, wiping away her tears. Alex and Kohaku both comforted her.

"Blah blah blah. Just get off the field and watch a real Obelisk duel," Manjoume spoke, ruining the mood.

" _Way to kill the mood,_ " Kohaku said in English. Alex guided Bella off the field.

"Get ready to be expelled! I'll char all your hopes into cinders with these flames of malice!" the male Obelisk declared.

"Just try it!"

' _Even though I have no idea what deck my dad sent me,_ ' the 'Circus Freak' duelist thought, for she didn't have any time to look at the cards her father sent her that were with the costumes he sent.

"DUEL!"

 **Manjoume: 4000 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 4000 LP**

"I'll go first and draw!" Manjoume insisted, drawing his sixth card. "I summon Hell Soldier in Attack Mode!" A heavily-armored soldier appeared with a large sword in hand.

 **Hell Soldier: Level 4/DARK/Warrior/1200 ATK/1400 DEF**

"I place one card face-down to end my turn!"

"My turn. Draw!" She took one look at the cards in her hand and one that she drew. She let out a gasp at the cards before her. "No way... I never thought..."

Judai noticed tears forming in her eyes. "Are you okay, Kohaku?"

"Y-Yeah... Just not believing the cards my dad sent... To think he actually did care..." Kohaku wiped away her tears. "I summon Gungnir Relic User, Hibiki in Attack Mode!" A blonde girl in a school uniform of some kind appeared on her field.

 **Gungnir Relic User, Hibiki: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/1300 ATK/1000 DEF**

"A school girl?" Misawa asked.

"Anyone seen a card like that before?" Asuka also asked.

"Hibiki... Is that you?" the performer asked in a whispered tone.

The monster turned. At first, Kohaku thought it was just a monster hologram, when the female monster gave her a thumbs-up and smiled.

"He did keep you guys after all... That's a relief." She brought her attention back to the duel. "Hibiki's monster effect! Once summoned, I can add one 'Relic Weapon' card from my deck to my hand. I add Relic Weapon, Glove! And equip it to Hibiki!" Kohaku immediately activated the card she just drew. "Hibiki, if you can please."

A pendant of some kind appeared in Hibiki's hand. "Got it! _Balwisyall nescel Gungnir Tron~_ " Hibiki sang. All of a sudden, her clothes changed and she donned a white and orange battle uniform with a white scarf around her neck.

"What the-?! What just happened?!" Manjoume demanded.

"Relic Weapon, Glove happened. It can only be equipped to Hibiki and allows her to transform into her combat clothes, as well as giving her 500 ATK boost."

 **Gungnir Relic User, Hibiki: 1300 + 500 = 1800 ATK**

"I attack Hell Soldier with Hibiki! **Power-Up** **Punch!** " Hibiki's armored fist seemed to have enlarged itself, powering up the strength for a hard punch. She threw her fist down at Hell Soldier, destroying it.

"At this moment, Hell Soldier's special ability activates! It will deal all Battle Damage received by the player straight to the opponent as well!" Manjoume exclaimed.

Just as Hibiki destroyed the soldier, the sword it had went into the air and down at Kohaku, blade first.

 **Manjoume: 3400 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 3400 LP**

"Kohaku!" her friends called.

"Are you okay, Kohaku?!" Hibiki asked.

"I'm fine..." Kohaku answered. She then whispered to her monster, "Though I didn't expect you to talk."

"Koharu created me after all. And everyone else in that deck. In fact, she created most of the cards that are in there. And of course, as her twin, you have the same power she does. Of course I'm able to speak with you. Me and everyone else in there."

Kohaku let out a soft sigh of relief. "That makes me even more happy." She looked back at her opponent. "I end my turn with two cards face-down!"

"My turn!" Manjoume drew. "Now I activate the Trap Card, Call of the Living Dead! With this card I can Special Summon a monster back from the Graveyard! The one I choose is this! Be reborn, Hell Soldier!" The Warrior-type monster came back. "Next I activate the Magic Card, Hell Reckless Summoning! This Special Summons Monsters identical to a monster on our fields from our hand, deck and Graveyard! All in Attack Mode!" Manjoume summoned two more Hell Soldiers, while Kohaku didn't summon any more monster.

"What's with Kohaku?" Hayato wondered.

"It's possible that... She only has one Gungnir Relic User, Hibiki in her deck," Alex guessed.

"What?! But-!"

"It's okay, Shou," Judai interrupted his friends worry. "Even if she isn't using 'Circus Freaks', Kohaku will be fine."

"Besides, no matter how many Hell Soldiers he gets together, their ATK power is 1200 each," Asuka pointed out.

"Manjoume must have some sort of plan in store," Ryo guessed.

Manjoume overheard him. "Precisely, Kaiser. And it is I who will succeed you in Obelisk Blue! I activate the Equip Magic, Hell Alliance! This increases the ATK points of the equipped monster by 800 points for each monster with the same name as it. The ATK of my equipped Hell Soldier is-"

"3600," Kohaku answered in a carefree tone, which annoyed her opponent for many reasons.

 **Hell Soldier: 1200 + 800 + 800 + 800 = 3600 ATK**

"Go! Hell Soldier!" The powered-up monster attacked Hibiki.

"I activate the continuous trap card! Relic Weapon Protector! This prevents monsters equipped with 'Relic Weapon' Equip cards from being destroyed by battle!"

"However, you still take damage!" Hell Soldier swung his sword down at Hibiki, who tried to block it with a punch, only to be forced back.

 **Manjoume: 3400 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 1600 LP**

"Kohaku!" Shou called out.

"This is bad. Her Life Points are now at 1600," Misawa said. "And furthermore, with Hell Soldier's effect..."

"Kohaku, you better not lose!" Alex warned.

"Don't worry. I won't. Draw." Kohaku drew her next card. "I summon Ichavial Relic User, Chris in Attack Mode!" A white-haired school girl appeared on the field next to Hibiki.

 **Ichavial Relic User, Chris: Level 4/FIRE/Warrior/1300 ATK/1000 DEF**

"Chris-chan~!" Hibiki slam-hugged Chris.

"Hey! We're in a middle of a battle here!" the new summoned monster reminded.

"I know~"

"Then get off!"

' _I see some things never change..._ ' Kohaku thought.

"Chris's monster effect activates! When summoned, I add a 'Relic Weapon' card to my hand. I add Relic Weapon, Gun!" She added the Equip Magic to her hand. "Battle! Hibiki attacks Hell Soldier! **Power-Up Punch!** " The armored girl attacked one of the unequipped soldier and destroyed him.

"However, when Hell Soldier is destroyed, all damage I take will be forced onto you, too!" Manjoume said, as both players took damage.

 **Manjoume: 2800 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 1000 LP**

"Chris attacks your other Hell Solder!" The school girl kicked the soldier where guys didn't like to get hit, making the male audience to look away in slight fear, destroying the monster.

 **Manjoume: 2700 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 900 LP**

"Your monsters aren't the only ones that can deal effect damage!"

"What did you say?" Manjoume demanded.

"Chris' monster effect! When she destroys a monster by battle, my opponent takes 100 damage times the level of the destroyed monster! Hell Soldier's level is 4, so that's 400 points of damage!" Chris dashed towards Manjoume, giving him a nasty slap.

 **Manjoume: 2300 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 900 LP**

"She can try all she wants, but it's her own Life Points that are getting reduced!" Shou worried.

"No, it's just fine," Judai said.

"Judai's right. The ATK of the Hell Soldier with the Equip Magic is 3600. It can't be defeated unless you summon a considerable powerful monster. But look," Ryo explained to his brother, as the remaining soldier shrunk.

 **Hell Soldier: 3600 - 800 - 800 = 2000 ATK**

"I get it now! With less Hell Soldiers, its ATK has gone down!" the '-roid' duelist realized.

"And since Kohaku has her Relic Weapon Protector on the field, it'll protect her monsters from destruction!" Hayato added.

"Only those equipped with 'Relic Weapon' cards. But you're right, since Kohaku added a 'Relic Weapon' Equip Magic to her hand, if she equips it to Ichaival Relic User, Chris, her monsters are practically indestructible," Asuka agreed.

"She also has more monsters than Manjoume. At this rate, Kohaku will have a chance," Misawa observed.

"I equip Chris with Relic Weapon, Gun! Chris! It's your turn!"

"Got it!" A red pendant appeared in the white-haired girl's hand. " _Killiter Ichaival Tron~_ " Chris sang. Like Hibiki, she transformed in her red combat clothes, a pair of red crossbows in her hands.

 **Ichaival Relic User, Chris: 1300 + 500 = 1800 ATK**

"I end my turn," Kohaku ended.

"My turn!" Manjoume drew his next card. "Fiore! Your petty tricks won't work on me anymore! I sacrifice Hell Soldier and my entire hand to summon Blazing Demon - Hell Burner! Come forth, Hell Burner!" A ball of fire surrounds his soldier as he let out a laugh, confident that he'll win.

"What?!" Kohaku's friends gasped.

"Blazing Demon?!" Bella gasped.

The ball of fire exploded, revealing Manjoume's new monster.

 **Blazing Demon - Hell Burner: Level 6/FIRE/Fiend/2800 ATK/1800 DEF**

"What now, Fiore? My Hell Burner is a high-level monster. And what's more, for every one of my opponent's monsters, its ATK goes up by 200! There are two monsters on your field, so Hell Burner's ATK goes up by 400!"

 **Blazing Demon - Hell Burner: 2800 + 400 = 3200 ATK**

"An ATK of 3200?! No matter what monster she shields herself with, Kohaku's Life Points will go down to 0!" Judai exclaimed.

"Go! Be burned by my flamers of malice and begone from this academy, Fiore!" Hell Burner breathed out hungry flames towards Hibiki.

"I activate my Trap card, Symphogear Caller! This card only activates if my opponent declares an attack. I Special Summon a 'Relic User' monster from my deck and redirect the attack to that monster! Protect me, Ame no Habakiri Relic User, Tsubasa!" A school girl with long blue hair appeared in Defense Mode, taking the hit for Hibiki.

 **Ame no Habakiri Relic User, Tsubasa: Level 4/WIND/Warrior/1400 ATK/1000 DEF**

"Tsubasa-san!" Hibiki cried.

"Idiot! Kohaku wouldn't do that unless she has something to bring her back!" Chris scolded.

"She's right, Hibiki," their duelist whispered. She then raised her voice. "And since Tsubasa was summoned, I can add a 'Relic Weapon' card to my hand from my deck. I add Relic Weapon, Sword!"

"All right! She protected herself!" Alex cheered.

"And got an extra card to boot!" Bella also cheered.

"Damn your persistent tricks! However, your end will no doubt come on my next turn."

Kohaku let out a smirk. "I wonder about that."

"What?!"

" _It's time for the Grand Finale~!_ " Kohaku declared. " _Hola~! Bonjour~! Hello, everybody~!_ Finally, after all this damage taking, it's time to reveal the true power of the 'Relic' deck!" The crowd all went wild at the declaration, her Osiris friends included.

"Go for it, Kohaku!" Judai shouted.

"My turn!" Kohaku drew her next card. "I activate Reincarnation of the Monster! By discarding one card from my hand, I can add a monster card from my Graveyard to my hand! I discard Gungnir Relic User, Kanade for Ame no Habakiri Relic User, Tsubasa! Next I summon her!" The blue-haired girl returned to the field.

"You came back!" Hibiki happily said.

"Was there any doubt?" Tsubasa asked.

"I knew Kohaku was up to something," Chris bragged.

"I won't activate her summon effect, however, she has another effect," their duelist continued. "As long as Gungnir Relic User, Kanade is in my Graveyard, she gains half of Kanade's original ATK and DEF. Which means she gains 1000 more ATK and 500 more DEF!"

 **Ame no Habakiri Relic User, Tsubasa: 1400 + 1000 = 2400 ATK/1000 + 500 = 1500 DEF**

"Next I equip Tsubasa with Relic Weapon Sword!" their duelist continued.

Like the other two Equip Magics, a red pendant fell into Tsubasa's hand. " _Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri Tron~_ " Like the other two girls, Tsubasa changed into her blue combat clothes, with a sword in hand.

 **Ame no Habakiri Relic User, Tsubasa: 2400 + 500 = 2900 ATK**

"Have you forgotten? Because you summoned another monster, my Hell Burner gains more power!" Manjoume reminded.

 **Blazing Demon - Hell Burner: 3200 + 200 = 3400 ATK**

"And no matter what you do, my Hell Burner will prevail!"

"You really don't know how shows work," Kohaku mocked. "An entertainer never does tricks for nothing. From my hand I activate my Magic Card, Swan Song! This card can only activates if I have a 'Relic User' monster on my field and have less than 1000 Life Points. I can double the ATK and DEF of all 'Relic User' monsters on my field!"

"If Tsubasa's ATK is doubled, it'll be 5800 ATK!" Hayato calculated.

"She'll win!" Shou said.

"Next is Hibiki's monster effect! All 'Relic User' monsters are unaffected by Swan Song!" Her Osiris' friends all did an anime-fall at that announced effect.

"What was the point of that?" Bella dared to ask.

"It was for this! If Swan Song was activated, Hibiki's ATK becomes twice the total ATK of all 'Relic User' monsters on the field!"

"What?!"

" _Girls, hit it~!_ " Kohaku ordered.

" _Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal_  
 _Emustolronzen fine el balal zillz_  
 _Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal_  
 _Emustolronzen fine el balal zillz~_ "

As soon as the three female monsters finished singing, they began to glow bright and rainbow color. The color was then transferred to Hibiki, as well as all the power that the Magic Card granted.

 **Gungnir Relic User, Hibiki: 1800 x 2 + 1800 x 2 + 2900 x 2 = 13000 ATK**

"An ATK of over 10000?!" Manjoume gasped in complete shock.

"Go! Hibiki! **Swan Song Tri Burst!** " Hibiki set her two wrist guards together on her right wrist and sent a vast tornado of rainbow light at the monster before them, ending the duel.

 **Manjoume: 0000 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 900 LP**

 **WINNER: KOHAKU!**

The crowd cheered at her victory.

"Manjoume, as a duelist, you-"

"Shut up!" Manjoume interrupted Kohaku. "You just happened to have luck on your side! Last I remember, you never used that deck or had it!"

"I may have used this deck for the first time, however, that doesn't mean I don't know how it's used. After all, what kind of sister would I be if I don't know my younger twin's cards and dueling strategies?"

Everyone was shocked at the news.

"Wait, the deck your dad gave... was your sister's?" Bella asked.

"And one-of-a-kind. Most of the cards in this deck were all her drawings that won a Duel Monster Drawing contest years back, before she died. By the time she won, it was too late..." She didn't need to say anymore for them to know that her twin died the day her deck was created. "Which is exactly why I asked Pegasus that day to never create any copies of these cards, to honor her. And also, Manjoume, the cards that were thrown into the ocean are, without a doubt, mine."

"How would you know?" her fallen opponent demanded.

"Because Pegasus told me that copies of the 'Circus Freak' cards would be in public a couple months after I transferred to this school. It hasn't been a month yet, which means there are only one of each cards in my Circus Freak deck in the world. Manjoume, those who don't respect their opponents don't have what it takes to be a duelist!" He slumped over, not believing that he had lost again.

"Will Kohaku and Alex both see me in the middle of the field?" Eri requested, as she walked up to the middle of the stadium. The two duelists approached her. "You both dueled remarkably well. If I have the power to, I could just promote the two of you to Obelisk Blue. But, rules are rules. Congratulations. You are both Ra Yellows!"

The audience applauded for them, all congratulating them for the promotion.

"We did it, Alex!" Kohaku cheered.

"You got that right, Kohaku!" Alex agreed.

"Congratulations you two," Misawa spoke, walking to them. "Allow me to be the first Ra Yellow to welcome you two to our dorm." He held out both his hands, each for a hand shake that the two former Osiris Reds accepted.

Bella then come up to them. "You were both amazing, even though I lost to one of you!"

"You weren't bad yourself. Those ninjas of yours are dangerous foes," Alex complimented back.

Kohaku wrapped her arms around both their necks. "I think this should call for a celebration!" Her friends cheered in agreement.


	10. Monkey See, Monkey Duel

**Coral: And now! For the monkey duel!  
**

 **Aki: This duel seems different from the anime.**

 **Coral: It is indeed. I decided to change the deck the monkey duelist was using as well as having someone else duel him. I think it's a he.**

 **Aki: The monkey is most likely a he.**

 **Coral: You sure?**

 **Aki: Considering its English version's name, it should be a he.**

 **Coral: I guess so. Anyway, for the disclaimer,** **I don't own Yugioh GX. I own Kohaku Fiore, the Circus Freak deck and the Symphogear/Relic deck, A5L owns Alejandro Nagase and Generalhyna, otherwise now known as my official beta, owns Arabella Rosalina. I own some cards in Arabella Rosalina's deck. And speaking of my beta, I remember what we talked about for the duel in this chapter, but I thought this would be a better idea. Besides, it's a bit too early for _that_ thing. A surprise like that should be kept as one for a little bit longer~ Wouldn't you say? Now then, everybody. Without further ado... ENJOY~!**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 ** _*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*_**

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

It was a normal day on the island. Everyone was in school waiting for class to start. Well, almost everyone.

"How's your first morning at Ra Yellow?" Bella asked Kohaku and Alex.

"Feels like I'm at home, sort of," Alex replied.

"Better than the bunk beds at Osiris, I'll give it that," Kohaku agreed. "And the breakfast was good too."

"Was it really that much better than being in the red?"

"You try sleeping with another bed over your head. Or dealing with a roommate's snoring over the night."

"And try eating rice for every breakfast and dinner. Not saying we're glad to get out of it, but this is what it's like to get promoted you could say."

"I see."

"Still though, that was some party we had," the double-deck duelist brought up.

"It sure was fun!"

"Especially when you and Judai had an eating contest. I still wonder just where you put all that food, Kohaku," the male Ra questioned.

"If you performed and practice stunts for as long as I have, you'd be a big eater too." Kohaku then got closer to Bella and whispered in her ear. "But what was really fun was the party after."

"I know. All my monsters and your Relic Users and Time Space Magician practically had a ball," Bella whispered back. After the big celebration party, the two psychic duelists had a small party after, only that it involved their Duel Monster spirits.

"That reminds me, we should duel some time. I'd love to see how you would go against my Circus Freaks."

"You're on."

"Is this still a girls-only talk or something?" Alex asked, being that he's the only person in the small group who can't see or hear Duel Monster Spirits.

"Maybe~" the two girls replied.

Just then, Shou stormed into the classroom. "Big Bro! Big Bro! Big Bro!"

"What's wrong, Shou?" Judai asked.

"Bad news! I heard Manjoume-kun's gone missing!"

"What did you say?!" Bella, Kohaku and Alex looked at each other in slight worry.

"They say he rushed to get his things this morning and ran away," came Taiyou's voice.

"And all because he lost to Kohaku, I'm betting," followed Raizou.

"What a loser!"

"How disappointing."

"Feels like a losing dong's left." They, as well as a couple other Obelisks, laughed at that joke.

"One of the things I hate about most of Obelisk Blue," Alex spoke. "They would abandon their friends if they lose even once to someone of a lower rank."

"And they would do whatever it takes to stay at the top," Kohaku agreed. "Of course, you're one of the few Obelisks who aren't like that, Bella. We know better."

"I don't blame you two. Especially after what you heard from Mickenzi," Bella forgave. "Besides, like Alex said, those two used to be his friends."

"So what do we do?" Alex asked.

"... How about we look for him?" Kohaku suggested. Her two friends looked at her like she grew a head.

"I'm serious."

"So am I, Alex."

"Even after what he did to you? What he tried to do?" Bella asked the female Ra.

"Believe it or not. Besides, I'm not the only one who's planning on it." They both noticed her looking at Judai and Shou, both who sneaked out of class.

"Are you sure about going with them?"

"Did you forget the last time-?" Alex was about to remind Kohaku what happened the last time she went with Judai and Shou when the latter pointed towards the blue corner where Asuka and two of her friends are, both also sneaking out.

"You were saying?"

Without any other option, both decided to go along with Kohaku's plan.

* * *

The group exited the school and caught up with the Obelisk girls.

"Where do you three think you're going?" Alex began.

"Meeting up with Judai and Shou," Asuka replied.

"Mind if we join?" Bella asked.

"Can't sit around either while Manjoume is out hiding?" Junko guessed.

"You could say that. So can we join?" Kohaku asked.

"Sure," the blonde Obelisk answered.

* * *

The group of six exited school and found Judai and Shou crawling out of a hole.

"I wonder where you're planning to go by cutting out of class," Asuka spoke, getting the two Red's attention.

"We're going to look for Manjoume. I can't just sit around. Please, don't tell the professor," Judai said.

"Sure, on one condition."

"Condition?"

"We're coming with you."

"Huh? Why?"

"You said it yourself. We can't just sit around."

Kohaku then spoke with a sly smile, "You say that and all Asuka, but I bet the real reason is because-"

Before Kohaku could say anymore, Asuka was pinching her cheeks with a dark look on her face. "I'll pinch these cheeks of your's."

"Ow ow ow! You already are! You already are! I give! I give!"

"Feels like another Hibiki..." came Chris's voice.

* * *

After that little pinch fesitval, the group of eight began their search for Manjoume.

"Manjoume!"

"Manjoume-kun!"

"Manjoume!"

Kohaku, Shou and Judai were hollering for the Obelisk for minutes.

"Honestly..." Asuka muttered. She held her hands on each side of her mouth and yelled at the top of her voice. "Get out here! I can't believe you're hiding just because you lost a duel! That's just pitiful!" A large flock of birds flew out of the trees and into the sky away from the sound of her voice.

"You're as forceful as ever..." Judai said.

"I never took you as the kind of person who would shout," Alex stated.

"But that's natural. Manjoume's just a weak boy," Junko, Asuka's red-head friend, scoffed.

"Still, I'm sure he's different. I mean, he's such a cool guy~!" Asuka's other friend, Momoe, spoke in a love-sick tone.

"Define 'cool'..." Alex questioned, not seeing what she sees in the cold, tyrant of an Obelisk, even if he is a guy.

"I thought you said Misawa was dreamy the other day? You're fine with anyone who's good-looking," Junko said.

Just then, Kohaku looked on with a weird look on her face. "Hey, I think I saw something move over there." The group followed her eyes and saw the bush rustling.

"I'ts Manjoume-kun," Shou assumed.

"Hey, is that you, Manjoume? It's me, Yuki Judai! Don't put up a front and come out!" the 'Elemental Hero' duelist called, as the group walked closer to the bush.

"I don't remember the two of you being on good terms," Alex muttered.

Suddenly, something jumped out of the bush, startling the young duelists. The thing began a brawl with them and just took off.

"W-What was that?" Asuka stammered.

"I think it was a monkey," Shou answered.

"You sure it wasn't a robot?" Bella asked.

There was shuffling in the forest, forcing Judai to let out a yelp.

" _Now what?!_ " Alex demanded in English. Turned out, the shuffling came from three men.

"Did it escape?" the short old man asked his accomplices. One was tall and the other had sunglasses and a rifle. The next thing they know, they heard a scream.

" _Hey!_ Where did Junko go?!" Bella asked, noticing they were short a person.

"Help me!" They turned to the source and saw the monkey swinging from tree to tree with Junko in its arm.

"When did she get there?!" Momoe asked in a puzzled tone.

"Since that monkey took off with her!" Alex answered.

"It's over there!" the man with the rifle pointed.

"Let's go and catch it!" the old man ordered.

"H-Hey! H-Hold on! What's going on?!" Shou stuttered.

"I don't know. But at any rate, we should save Junko!" Judai proposed. The duelists followed the three men, going deeper into the woods.

"Looks like it's heading to a cliff just outside this forest," Tsubasa whispered to Kohaku and Bella.

Meanwhile, with the captive girl, Junko screamed with each jump and drop the monkey was doing while carrying her. She constantly demanded to be let go, until they arrived at a tree by a cliff. One look at the drop to the ocean and she begged it to not let her go.

"It won't escape now!" the man with the rifle exclaimed, aiming his weapon at the animal. "If you don't want to be shot by the tranquilizer, come back to us quietly!"

The monkey let Junko down on the tree, as the latter cried for help.

"I can't believe it took a hostage so brazenly like that," the tall man cursed.

"Better yet, just who are you guys?!" Judai questioned.

"Is it just me, or is that monkey wearing a duel disk?" Kohaku asked.

"What are you talking about? Monkeys can't duel," Alex said with logic.

"But it's true!" Shou agreed with the female Ra. "That monkey's wearing a duel disk!"

"That isn't just a mere monkey; this is a dueling monkey that we've been putting a lot of effort into training," the old man explained. "Its name is Super Animal Learning, or SAL for short."

"Looks weak," Shou insulted.

"Doctor!"

"Seems it was a slip of the tongue," the old man shrugged off the tall guy's shout.

"Wait a second!" Bella spoke up. "How about handling the monkey to me?"

"To you? And what, pray tell, are you saying you can do?" the doctor asked.

"I'm friend of all kinds of animals. And if what you say is true, then I'll also duel it."

"Did I hear right?" Alex asked.

"You're dueling a monkey?" Kohaku followed.

"Don't worry about it," came Sasuke's voice, as an image of him and Bella's other ninjas appeared by her side.

"They say you can link your heart with another duelist in a duel, even if that duelist is an animal," Bella reasoned. Before any of them knew it, Bella began to speak in monkey. " _SAL! You're a duelist, right? How about a duel? I win, you let that hostage go!_ "

" _And what if I win?_ " SAL asked in monkey.

" _Good question... You do what you want._ "

"What's the point of a bet if you're going to let him do what he wants if he wins?! He's practically doing what he wants anyway!" Kohaku shouted.

"You understand that?" Judai asked.

"I can speak every language, remember."

"You actually mean EVERY?!" Shou asked, his eyes bulging out.

Kohaku then translated the conversation that took place.

"Kohaku's right! What's the point in that?!" Junko demanded.

"Don't worry, Junko! I'll win!" Bella assured.

SAL agreed to the terms and, leaving Junko in the tree, hopped to a boulder on the ground. Both duelists turned on their duel disks.

" _Okay,_ DUEL!" Bella shouted.

"DUEL!" came the monkey. This shocked the students.

"It was program to speak dueling terminology," the doctor explained.

 **Bella: 4000 LP**  
 **SAL: 4000 LP**

"Ladies first! Draw!" Bella drew her sixth card. "I summon Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Naruto in Attack Mode!" The blonde ninja in orange jumpsuit made his appearance again.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Naruto: Level 4/WIND/Warrior/1400 ATK/800 DEF**

"I set two reverse cards. Turn. End."

"My turn! Draw!" SAL drew its next card. "I set a monster face-down! I set two reverse cards and activate Dungeon of the Gladial Beast - Colosseum!" The whole area suddenly became a colosseum. "Turn. End."

"I draw!" Bella drew her next card. "I summon Konohagakure Shinobi Team 8, Hinata in Attack Mode!" A blind ninja girl appeared next to the ninja boy.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 8, Hinata: Level 4/WATER/Warrior/1000 ATK/1700 DEF**

"Hey, Hinata!" Naruto greeted.

"H-Hi, Naruto," Hinata nervously greeted.

"I activate her monster effect!" Bella continued. "Once per turn, I can look at one face-down card on my opponent's field! If that face-down is a monster card, that card is destroyed without activating its reverse effect!"

"Trap card open! Breakthrough Skill!" SAL countered. "This trap card negates the effect on my opponent's monster!" A blindfold and chains appeared and binded Hinata.

"Hinata!" Naruto and Bella cried out.

"I'm fine," she assured.

"However, I can still attack. Battle! Naruto attacks your face-down monster! **One Thousand Years of Death!** " The blonde ninja had his hands together in a tiger hand seal and charged. The face-down monster was flipped face-up, revealing it to be a monkey with some gears attached to it, similar to SAL. Naruto suddenly went behind the animal and inserted his pointer and middle finger... up its butt, sending the monkey flying.

 **Slave Ape: Level 2/EARTH/Beast/700 ATK/300 DEF**

"That's gross! I touched a monkey's butt!" he complained.

"Sorry~" Bella apologized, considering she was the one who chose the attack.

"Slave Ape's monster effect!" SAL exclaimed. "When destroyed by battle, I Special Summon a level 4 or lower 'Gladial Beast' monster from my deck! I Special Summon Gladial Beast Andal!" A bear in purple armor appeared in place of the monkey.

 **Gladial Beast Andal: Level 4/EARTH/Beast-Warrior/1900 ATK/1500 DEF**

"Field magic's special ability! Each time a monster is Special Summoned, from either player's deck, a counter is placed on this card! Also for each counter on this card, all 'Gladial Beast' monsters gain 100 ATK and DEF!" A statue of the bear-gladiator appeared on the field.

 **Gladial Beast Andal: 1900 + 100 = 2000 ATK/1500 + 100 = 1600 DEF**

"In that case... I end my turn with a face-down," Bella ended.

"My turn! Draw!" SAL drew another card. "I activate Magic card, Pot of Greed! I draw two cards! Trap card, Gladial Beast of Troy activate! I can Special Summon a 'Gladial Beast' monster from my hand to my opponent's field! Go! Gladial Beast Octavius!" A green armored, muscle eagle appeared with the ninjas.

 **Gladial Beast Octavius: Level 7/LIGHT/Winged-Beast/2500 + 100 = 2600 ATK/1200 + 100 = 1300 DEF**

"Why give her such a strong monster?" Shou wondered.

"That monkey doesn't seem so trained, does it?" Momoe insulted.

"You will take back those words," the doctor said.

"Next I activate, Gladial Tame! This activates if there's a 'Gladial Beast' monster on either side of the field! Until the End Phase, Gladial Beast Octavius comes to me!" The armored monster switched places.

"I get it. By using that trap card, not only did he summon a strong monster, he also brought it back to his field," Alex analyzed.

"Not only that, both of that monkey's monsters are stronger than Bella's. For an animal, it's really smart," Asuka complimented.

"Next, Slave Tiger's effect from my hand! While I control a face-up 'Gladial Beast' monster, I can Special Summon him!" A small tiger in light armor appeared with the big animals.

 **Slave Tiger: Level 3/EARTH/Beast/600 ATK/300 DEF**

"Battle! I attack Naruto with Andal! **Grizzly Claw!** " The bear charged at the male ninja, its claws ready to strike.

"I activate Naruto's monster effect! When he's attacked by a monster with a higher ATK, I discard one card to negate his destruction!" Bella countered.

"Trap card open! Gladial Beast Chariot! When an Effect monster's effect is activated, if I control a 'Gladial Beast' monster, that effect is negated and the monster that activated it is destroyed!"

"What?!" A chariot appeared and took Naruto away to his doom.

"Naruto!" Hinata cried.

"Replay! Replay! Andal attacks Hinata!"

"He can't do that! He already declared an attack with that monster!" Shou protested.

"He can actually," Judai corrected. "If a monster's original target is gone, that monster can change its attack target."

"Huh?!"

" **Grizzly Claw!** " The bear made its way towards Hinata.

"Trap card open! Substitute! This trap card can be activated when my opponent declares an attack on a 'Shinobi' monster, I can Special Summon this card as a monster! Also, while this card is on the field, my opponent's monsters can only attack this card!" The wooden dummy appeared.

 **Substitute: Level 1/EARTH/Warrior/0 ATK/2000 DEF**

The bear tried to destroy the dummy, only for it to be hopeless.

"I attack with Octavius! **Eagle Claw!** " SAL ordered. The winged-beast soared into the sky and went straight for the dummy, destroying it. "Slave Tiger attacks! **Cub Paw!** " The little feline ran towards Bella and hit her with its paw.

 **Bella: 3400 LP**  
 **SAL: 4000 LP**

"I end my Battle Phase! Octavius' effect activates! At the end of the Battle Phase, I send this card back to my deck!" Just as the monkey said that, the eagle took its leave.

"That's good. At least we won't have to worry about that bird," Shou sighed in relief.

"Why do I have a feeling we have bigger things to worry about?" Kohaku asked out loud.

"I activate Test Tiger's effect! I release him to send Andal back to my deck, then Special Summon a 'Gladial Beast' monster from my deck and treat it as though it was Special Summon by that 'Gladial Beast' monster's effect! Come out, Gladial Beast Augustal!" Both the tiger and the bear left the field. In their place was a purple-scaled dragon-like bird in silver and purple armor with a sword.

 **Gladial Beast Augustal: Level 8/DARK/Winged-Beast/2600 ATK/1000 DEF**

"Great, like the eagle wasn't bad enough for her," Alex said.

"Activating effect! Field Magic gains another counter!" A statue of Augustal emerged from the ground.

 **Gladial Beast Augustal: 2600 + 200 = 2800 ATK/1000 + 200 = 1200 DEF**

"When Special Summoned by effect of 'Gladial Beast', I Special Summon a 'Gladial Beast' monster from my hand in Defense Mode! I Special Summon Gladial Beast Murmillo!" A blue fish-like monster with a huge seashell appeared with the scaled-bird.

 **Gladial Beast Murmillo: Level 3/WATER/Fish/800 + 200 = 1000 ATK/400 + 200 = 600 DEF**

"Murmillo's monster effect! When Special Summoned by a 'Gladial Beast' monster's effect, I target one face-up monster on the field and destroy it!" The teenagers gasped at that info. " **Whirlpool Blowout!** " The fish shot out water from its seashell, getting rid of Hinata. "Turn end! Augustal's effect! Monster summoned by its effect goes to my deck!" The fish retreated.

"My turn. Draw!" Bella drew her next card. "I activate Shinobi Vengeance! If I have a 'Konohagakure Shinobi' monster in my Graveyard, I Special Summon from my hand or deck a 'Konohagakure Shinobi' monster whose team number is the same as the one in my Graveyard! Come, Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Kakashi!" The masked ninja appeared onto her field.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Kakashi: Level 6/LIGHT/Warrior/2300 ATK/1900 DEF**

"Next, I equip Kakashi with the Equip Magic, Mist Body! This card prevents the monster equipped with it from being destroyed by battle! I attack Augustal with Kakashi! **Ch** **idori!** " The ninja ran straight for the winged-beast with a lightning charged fist. Augustal prepared to strike back with its sword. The moment it swung its weapon down, Kakashi's body turned to mist.

"However, you take damage!" SAL pointed out.

 **Bella: 2900 LP  
** **SAL: 4000 LP**

"That may be, but Kakashi's monster effect activates! After the damage step, the monster this card battles is also destroyed! **Lightning Release: Lightning Beast Tracking Fang!** " Kakashi appeared behind the purple-scaled monster, summoning a hound made of lightning as it destroyed the monster.

"All right!" Judai cheered.

"She got it!" Shou followed.

"I end my turn!"

"My turn! Draw! Magic card, Treasure Cards of the Heaven! We both draw until we have six cards!" Both players drew until they have a full hand. "Magic card, Double Summon! I summon twice this turn! Next, Magic card, Gladial Trainer! I add a Level 4 or lower 'Gladial Beast' monster from my deck to my hand! I add Gladial Beast Lanista! Now I summon him!" A green armored bird with a spear appeared on SAL's field.

 **Gladial Beast Lanista: Level 4/WIND/Winged-Beast/1800 + 200 = 2000 ATK/1200 + 200 = 1400 DEF**

"I release Lanista to Advance Summon Gladial Beast Sparticus!" The bird went away and in its place was a dinosaur in brown armor with an axe.

 **Gladial Beast Sparticus: Level 5/EARTH/Dinosaur/2200 + 200 = 2400 ATK/1600 + 200 = 1800 DEF**

"I equip Sparticus with the Equip Magic, Armament of the Gladial Beasts - Halberd!" The dinosaur's axe changed into a halberd. "Battle! Sparticus attacks Kakashi! **Dino Wreck!** Also, Halberd's special ability! When the equipped monster attacks, I destroy one Magic or Trap card my opponent controls!"

"That would mean Mist Body is destroyed!" Momoe summed up, as the dinosaur threw its weapon at Kakashi's shadow, stopping him from turning himself into mist.

"However, your monster still gets destroyed!" Bella reminded.

"From my Graveyard, Breakthrough Skill's effect! By banishing it on my turn, I negate effect of my opponent's monster!"

"That means Sparticus won't be destroyed!" Shou stated. The dinosaur monster swung its weapon and destroyed Kakashi.

 **Bella: 2800 LP  
** **SAL: 4000 LP**

"I end my Battle Phase! Sparticus's effect! After the Battle Phase, if this card battles, I return it to my deck and Special Summon a 'Gladial Beast' monster! Come, Gladial Beast Laquer!" The dinosaur was surrounded by a tornado of fire. The flames died down and revealed a tiger-like gladiator from within.

 **Gladial Beast Laquer: Level 4/FIRE/Beast-Warrior/1800 + 200 = 2000 ATK/400 + 200 = 600 DEF**

"Halberd's special ability activates! When this card is sent to the graveyard because the monster it was equipped to was sent back into my deck, this card returns to my hand." SAL retrieves his recently used Equip Magic. "Next, Dungeon of Gladial Beast gains another counter!" A statue of the new monster emerged. "Also, Laquer's monster effect! When Special Summoned by a 'Gladial Beast' monster's effect, his original ATK becomes 2100!"

 **Gladial Beast Laquer: 2000 + 400 = 2400/600 + 100 = 700**

"I end my turn with two face-downs!"

"This isn't good," Asuka muttered,

"At this rate, Bella might..." Shou spoke.

"Don't you dare finish that!" Alex shouted.

"He's right. Bella's just getting started," Kohaku agreed.

"Arabella Rosalina! Don't you dare lose to that monkey!" Junko snapped.

"I draw!" Bella drew her seventh card.

' _First time dueling an animal and I'm losing to it... It's ridiculous..._ ' she thought. ' _But this just proves that even an animal can be a pro!_ '

"I activate the Instant Magic, Tailed Beast Changer! I can Special Summon a 'Tailed-Beast' Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck by removing from play the monster needed for its summon from the field or my Graveyard! I banish Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Naruto from my Graveyard to awaken the beast residing within him! Come, Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama!" The nine-tailed fox appeared on her field.

 **Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama: Level 9/FIRE/Beast/3000 ATK/3000 DEF**

"There it is! Bella's ace monster!" Judai happily said.

"There's no way she can lose!" Momoe followed.

"Battle! Kurama attacks Laquer! **Nine-Tails Beam!** "

"Trap card open! Defensive Tactics! This card can only activates if I control a 'Gladial Beast' monster! For the rest of this turn, monsters I control cannot be destroyed by battle and all Battle Damage I take gets reduced to 0!"

"What did you say?!" the ninja duelist gasped, as a shield appeared and blocked Kurama's beam attack.

"Also, instead of going to the Graveyard, it gets sent to the bottom of my deck instead!" SAL placed his used Trap Card at the bottom of his deck.

"See that? This is the result of all that forced training we put onto SAL!" the doctor boasted.

"Doctor!" the tall guy scolded.

"Whoops. Another slip..."

"Did you just say force?!" Kohaku demanded with wide-eyes.

"My mistake; a huge slip."

"What did you take animals for?! They may not be humans, but they have feelings like we do! They have a family like we do! They have their own freedom! And you just took all that away?!"

"Kohaku, calm down!" Judai spoke, as he and Alex held her back from beating the old man.

"Besides, we have bigger things to worry about, like Bella's duel _maybe_?!" Alex reminded.

"Because your Battle Phase has ended, Laquer's monster effect activates! Switching him for Gladial Beast Hoplomus!" The shield protecting the tiger-like gladiator suddenly enlarged and folded itself, trapping the feline warrior. It unfolded itself and shrunk, revealing a rhinoceros in brown armor in Defense Mode.

 **Gladial Beast Hoplomus: Level 4/EARTH/Rock/700 + 300 = 1000 ATK/2100 + 300 = 2400 DEF**

"Hoplomus' effect activates! When Special Summoned by a 'Gladial Beast' monster's effect, its original DEF becomes 2400! Also, because he was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, another counter is added! And trap card open, Handicap Match! When I Special Summon a 'Gladial Beast' monster, I Special Summon a Level 4 or lower 'Gladial Beast' monster from my hand or deck! From my deck, I Special Summon Gladial Beast Dicaerii! And because he's summoned from my deck, another counter is gained!" A minotaur suddenly appeared from the ground. With it is a statue of itself.

 **Gladial Beast Hoplomus: 1000 + 100 = 1100 ATK/2400 + 400 = 2800 DEF**

 **Gladial Beast Dicaerii: Level 4/EARTH/Beast/1600 + 400 = 2000 ATK/1200 + 400 = 1600 DEF**

"... I... set three cards face-down... Turn. End..." Bella managed to say.

"My turn! Draw!" SAL drew his next card. "Magic Card, Shield in the Right Hand, Sword in the Left Hand! This card switches the original ATK and DEF of all face-up monsters on the field!" The monsters all had their ATK and DEF swapped, except Kurama, whose ATK and DEF are exactly the same.

 **Gladial Beast Hoplomus: 1100 -} 2800 ATK/2800 -} 1100 DEF**

 **Gladial Beast Dicaerii: 2000 -} 1600 ATK/1600 -} 2000 DEF**

"I switch Gladial Beast Hoplomus to Attack Mode! And equip him with Halberd!" Said monster got out of its kneeling position and got itself the Magic/Trap destroying weapon. "Battle! Hoplomus attacks Kurama! **Rhino Breaker!** "

"But doesn't Hoplomus have a lower ATK than Kurama?" Shou questioned.

"Not unless..." Alex spoke.

"I activate my face-down card! Instant Magic, Gladiator Beast's Inner Strength! A 'Gladial Beast' monster I control gains 500 ATK!" Power surged through Hoplomus.

 **Gladial Beast Hoplomus: 2800 + 500 = 3300 ATK**

"This is bad!" Shou gasped.

"Finally, with Halberd's effect, I destroy your set card!" The rhino threw its weapon at one of Bella's face-downs, destroying it.

"Bella!" Alex and Kohaku called.

"Double Trap Card open! Skill Drain and Skill Successor!" Bella countered. "First, with Skill Drain's special ability, by paying 1000 Life Points, all monster effects are negated!" Many spectators gasped at the turnaround.

 **Bella: 1800 LP  
** **SAL: 4000 LP**

 **Gladial Beast Hoplomus: 3300 - 300 = 3000 ATK**

"Next, with Skill Successor's ability, Kurama gains 400 ATK!" The fox monster roared as its ATK increased.

 **Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama: 3000 + 400 = 3400 ATK**

"Counterattack, Kurama! **Nine-Tails Beam!** " Bella's monster did as told and fired another beam, obliterating the rhino warrior.

 **Bella: 1800 LP  
** **SAL: 3700 LP**

"Nice one!" Shou cheered.

"And with Skill Drain's effect, those 'Gladial Beast' monsters won't switch back with another 'Gladial Beast' monster!" Asuka added.

"And since Halberd was sent to the Graveyard because the monster it was equipped to was also sent there, it can't be reused!" Alex followed.

"I... end my turn!" SAL ended. At that moment, Kurama and Dicaerii's stats returned to normal.

 **Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama: 3400 - 400 = 3000 ATK**

 **Gladial Beast Dicaerii: 1600 -} 2000 ATK/2000 -} 1600 DEF**

"Draw!" Bella drew her next card. Before she could do anything else, the sound of monkeys was heard. Everyone turned to the source and saw a pack hiding behind a boulder.

"Whoa!" Judai gasped in shock.

"That's a lot of monkey!" Shou stated.

"Are we going to be attacked?" Momoe asked in a worried tone.

Kohaku stepped up and spoke in their language. " _Who are you guys? Where did you come from?_ "

" _We live here,_ " one monkey answered.

" _We heard the sound of a monkey in pain and came here, hoping that it was one of us who was kidnapped by scary men,_ " another explained.

" _What?!_ " the animal-speaking duelist gasped in English. She realized her mistake and spoke back in monkey language. " _So that monkey over there is from your pack?!_ "

" _Yes,_ " a monkey replied.

" _I see._ " Kohaku turned back to her friends.

"What did they say?" Asuka asked.

"Apparently that monkey was taken away from its family and friends. In other words, those monkeys over there."

"So, SAL escaped the research lab to go back home?" Judai summarized.

"It escaped... Just to be with its friends and family..." Momoe spoke in a sympathetic tone.

"But if Bella wins, it'll go back to the lab... I can't help but feel bad for it..." Shou said.

"I know, but we can't just leave Junko there," the blonde Obelisk said.

"If we let SAL go back home, we can't get Junko back. If we get Junko back, SAL will have to go back to the lab... What do we do?" Alex wondered.

' _Despite that, of what I see, Bella has some kind of plan,_ ' Kohaku thought, looking back at the duel. Instead of seeing a conflicted face, she noticed that her psychic duelist friend had a calm attitude.

"Sorry, SAL. But a duel's a duel. No matter what the reason, a true duelist can't hold back on her opponent," Bella said. "It's time to end this! I should thank you for destroying my set card." Everyone had confused looks on her faces when she said that. "Because the card you destroyed was my Magic Card, Shinobi Enforcer. This card can only be activated in the Graveyard during my Standby Phase. By banishing this card and one monster in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon a monster from my deck whose level is greater or less than the one I banished by one or the exact same level!" SAL monkey-gasped at that effect. "I banish Level 6, Kakashi from my Graveyard to Special Summon Level 6, Konohagakure Shinobi Team 10, Asuma!" A smoking ninja with a short beard appeared on her field.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 10, Asuma: Level 6/WIND/Warrior/2300 ATK/1500 DEF**

"Ho? So we're going against a monkey? Interesting," he commented.

' _It's not like I have much of a choice..._ ' Bella thought.

"This is the end! Battle! Asuma attacks Dicaerii! **Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning** **!** " The newly summoned monster breathed out large amount of smoke. At first glance, one would think it was a smokescreen. But a little later, the smoke exploded, destroying the last 'Gladial Beast' monster.

 **Bella: 1800 LP  
** **SAL: 3400 LP**

"Kurama attacks directly! But first, from my Graveyard, I activate Skill Successor! By removing it from play from my Graveyard, a monster I control gains 800 ATK!" The demon let out another roar as power surged from within.

 **Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama: 3000 + 800 = 3800 ATK**

"Go, Kurama! **Nine-Tails Beam!** " Kurama fired its beam attack at SAL and ended the duel.

 **Bella: 1800 LP  
** **SAL: 0000 LP**

 **WINNER: BELLA!**

"All right!" Judai cheered.

"Bella won!" Shou followed.

"I don't need to speak monkey to remind you of our promise, do I?" Bella said.

SAL reluctantly complied and got Junko off the tree it left her on. Free from the hostage experience, the red-head Obelisk ran to her friends' side.

"Junko!" Asuka called, as she and the others also ran to her and Bella's side.

"Asuka-san! Momoe!" Junko called back, receiving comfort from her two friends.

"Junko-san! You're safe now!" Momoe happily stated.

The former hostage faced Bella. "Thank you for saving me, but that monkey's going back to the research lab, isn't it?" They all looked at SAL, who was sulking from the loss.

"Thank you! Leave the rest to us!" the guy with the rifle called, as he, the doctor and the tall guy walked closer to SAL.

"Stop right there!" Bella got between them and the monkey. "Have you forgotten what the deal was? I said if I win, he has to release Junko. Did I say anything about going back to the lab?" The three men had looks of confusion on their faces. "If he has to go anywhere, then it's in the forest where he belongs!" SAL looked at Bella in shock.

"Nice one, Bella!" Judai cheered.

"That's the way!" Shou followed.

"Nice ending," Asuka complimented.

"She has a good point," Momoe agreed.

"For a... witch," Junko added, not really meaning it when she said witch.

"You're in the way! Move it!" The two men in business suit pushed Bella aside and threw a net on top of SAL, restraining it.

"SAL!" she shouted, watching helplessly as they tried to stop its struggling. "Let him go!"

"If you want it back with its friends so much, we could do that," the doctor spoke, walking towards his accomplices. "However they will be in my research lab!"

" _Say what?!_ "

"Catch all the other monkeys! We are short on animals to experiment after all!" At the doctor's order, the guy with the rifle pointed his weapon at the wild monkeys.

Not wanting to see anymore of it, Kohaku dashed towards the armed guy and swiftly disarmed him. She then took the weapon and pointed it towards the three men.

"You're not taking anymore animals. And you will let SAL go," she said in a cold voice. They flinched at her voice and the fact that she's pointing their weapon at them.

"S-Says who?" the doctor dared to ask.

"Says me," came a voice familiar to the teenagers. They turned to the source and saw-

"Professor Daitokuji!"

"Who are you?" the old man demanded.

"If this goes to public, you would be the embarrassing ones, wouldn't you- _nya?_ " Daitokuji asked. "You'll be charged with animal cruelty, you know."

The research trio reluctantly released SAL and removed the mechanics off it, except the duel disk for some reason. As soon as they left, the now-free monkey happily reunited with its family, constantly thanking Bella for helping it.

"They all look so happy," Shou stated.

"They got a family and friend back. Who wouldn't be happy by that?" Alex asked.

"SAL! We should duel sometime!" Judai called.

"You really want to take on a monkey?" Junko questioned.

SAL, on the other hand, seemed to have accepted the request.

"Gotcha! That was a fun duel!"

"You weren't the one dueling, Judai," Momoe said, confused as to why he would do his victory pose.

"Don't get caught again! Bye!" Kohaku waved. At that good-bye, the pack of monkeys returned to the forest.

"At any rate, I wonder what would've happened to us if Professor Daitokuji didn't show up and Kohaku didn't disarm them," Momoe brought up.

"How did you do that anyway, Kohaku?" Judai asked.

"Don't tell me it has to do with another one of your stunts?" Shou guessed.

"You guessed right," she and Alex replied in unison.

"In any case, we should thank you both," Asuka said.

"No no. I didn't do anything," the professor politely declined. "Please say that to Pharaoh instead of me- _nya_. After all, he was the one who led me here- _nya._ "

"Still, why did you come here, Professor?" Judai asked.

"Oh, that's right! I found Manjoume-kun- _nya._ "

"Really?"

"Thank goodness," Shou sighed in relief.

"But he's no longer on this island- nya," Daitokuji then said. The group looked at him with shocked faces.

He led the teenagers to the pier, seeing a boat sailing away from them, assuming Manjoume was on it.

"To tell you the truth, I noticed it earlier, too. And so, I went to find Manjoume-kun- _nya._ "

"So that's it," Judai muttered.

"Manjoume-kun left the island..." Shou sadly muttered.

"He'll be back," Kohaku said. "After all, we're all under the same sky, aren't we?" Everyone shared her optimism and looked up at the blue sky.


	11. Ninja Vs Circus

**Coral: Hello new chapter~!**

 **Aki: Is it just me, or is this a filler chapter?**

 **Coral: It is indeed~ This is sort of my Beta's idea. And I agree with it whole-heaartedly~**

 **Aki: I see you're happy with doing this one.**

 **Coral: And that I am~! Although, due to certain things, I decided to make the filler chapter two chapters.**

 **Aki: I thought you were going to do two filler chapters in the first place.**

 **Coral: No, I mean two for each character the chapters would be based on.**

 **Aki: So in other words, you're doing four filler chapters.**

 **Coral: Putting it in simpler terms, yes. Oh! Also, for those of you who didn't follow me, I also made an Arc-V fanfiction story. Please, feel free to read that. Now then,** **I don't own Yugioh GX. I own Kohaku Fiore, the Circus Freak deck and the Symphogear/Relic deck, A5L owns Alejandro Nagase and Generalhyna owns Arabella Rosalina. I own some cards in Arabella Rosalina's deck. Now then, everybody, ENJOY~!**

 **Aki: Note to self: put on soundproof headphones when disclaimer comes.**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 ** _*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*_**

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

 _ ***DREAMWORLD***_

"Freak!" "You're a monster!" "Stay away from us!"

Those were the words she would always hear. No matter where she goes, she would always be seen as a plague.

Rosalina Arabella. A female teenage duelist like many others, except, unlike them, she has powers. Normally, when one would think of powers, they would be quite happy, but not her's. Bella has the power to see her Duel Monster Spirits, which many people would see as weird, for they can't see spirits. At first, it was okay, the power was harmless. However, when it comes to duels, that was when things would go from bad to worse.

A young Bella was seen dueling with a girl of the same age as her at a park. On the former's field were two monsters and two face-downs. On the latter's field were two monsters. It was Young Bella's turn, as she drew out her next card.

"Yosh! I activate the Equip Magic, Element Pendant! This changes the equipped monster's attribute to one that I call on! I equip it to Asuma and change his element from WIND to EARTH! Next, I activate my trap card, Earth Release: Antlion Traphole! This trap can only be activated when Otogakure Shinobi, Kagero is on the field. This card destroys all non-EARTH monsters on the field." The card did its work, as Kagero created a hole that got bigger, sucking in the non-EARTH monsters like a black hole. However, something went wrong. As the hold got bigger, the two female duelists can see that the ground itself and the benches being sucked into the hole as well. The hole kept extending, as Young Bella fell in, feeling the dirt that was suppose to be holographic. Kagero and Asuma both jumped in and got their duelist out, which was weirder, because it was usually impossible to touch a hologram. "I-I activate my other Trap card, Trap Stun! This negates the effects of all Trap cards on the field this turn!" True to her words, the hole disappeared, bringing her opponent's her two monsters back.

Speaking of, Young Bella could see her opponent on her butt, trembling slightly.

"A-Are you okay?" Young Bella asked, as she walked closer.

"Stay away!" her opponent shouted, having Young Bella stop in her tracks. "What the hell are you?! You're a freak!"

Those words angered Young Bella's monsters, as they both attacked and gave the opposing duelist a bad scar on her cheek.

That was only the beginning. Apparently, kids at Young Bella's school saw what happened and distanced themselves from her, constantly talking behind her back and calling her names, even going as far as bullying her. Young Bella's aunt and uncle noticed the treatment she was getting and transferred her to a different school. Unfortunately, even transferring didn't work, for horrible things were happening everywhere Young Bella went. From kids tripping or falling down the stairs, to big accidents in public. Even going abroad didn't work.

* * *

 _ ***END OF DREAM***_

Bella woke up with a gasp at her nightmare. Years, she was having the same dream over and over, only getting worse whenever she transferred to different schools, no matter where it was. She was fortunate enough that nothing bad happened yet during her time at Duel Academy. She was even more fortunate that she finally have friends of her own after years of being discriminated by many.

Bella looked at her room's window and saw the sun coming up.

"One thing I like about this room is that it has a perfect view of the sun rising," she muttered to herself. Bella proceeded to open the windows, getting some fresh air. What she didn't expect as she did so, was the sound of someone singing.

' _Who would be singing at this time?_ ' she wondered. She quickly dismissed her own question, as her mind was slowly drifting away from the nice song, eventually humming along with it.

* * *

After getting changed and having breakfast in the Obelisk cafeteria, Bella walked over to the Ra Yellow's dorm. It somehow became a habit for her. Despite the fact that she met Alex and Kohaku a few days ago, she felt like they were her best friends and just wanted to walk to class with them every single day. She felt that she was a bit bothersome, but Kohaku and Alex didn't mind one bit.

' _I'm glad to have great friends like them,_ ' Bella thought.

Once she got there, she saw that Kohaku and Alex were at the front of their dorm, waiting for her.

"How did I know that you'd come again?" Alex wondered out loud, smirking at Kohaku. "I believe you owe me ten."

"Guess I should've known," the female Ra said, giving Alex some money.

"You guys actually made a bet on me coming here?"

"It wasn't intentional. First we both talked about waiting for you when we saw you weren't at our dorm, then I said we should wait, while Kohaku thought you were already in class."

"I didn't really think you'd come though. I know we're friends, but you really don't need to keep coming here. We could walk to class from the the entrance. I'm not saying it's a bother, but wouldn't your feet ache from all that walking?"

"It's okay. I don't mind at all." Bella turned to the direction of the academy. "So, should we get going?" The two Ras nodded and they walked over to school.

"It's great to see Bella happy," Sakura said, as she and the other duel monster spirits were floating some distance away from them.

"Yeah. And it's greater that nothing bad happened yet," Naruto brought up.

"I really hope you didn't jinx that, idiot," Sasuke muttered.

"What did you call me?!" And so, the two teenage ninjas began their own little brawl.

"Boys..." the pink-haired ninja sighed.

With the three duelists, they were having a small conversation.

"I still can't believe you're both animal whisperers," Alex said.

"Well, I was friends with only animals, so eventually, I can understand and speak their language," Bella explained.

"There are animals in my dad's circus, so being around them 24/7, you'd understand and speak their language by that too. Especially if you're a performer," Kohaku said.

"I see." Alex then seem to have heard something and looked behind them.

"What's wrong?" the female Ra asked.

"I don't know. Lately, I've been hearing weird sounds. Though they're all really faint. Right now, I could've sworn I'm hearing something that sounds like a... brawl going on."

The two girls stopped and stared at him.

"Why are you girls looking at me like I grew an extra head or two?"

"N-No reason," both stuttered.

"Are you both hiding something?"

"I think it's best if you find out for yourself," Kohaku said.

"It'll be more believable than us saying it," Bella agreed.

With that said, the three friends continued their walk to class in silence.

* * *

 _ ***AFTER SCHOOL**_ _ *****_

Class was over. Kohaku, Alex, and Bella were at an empty field just by the academy. With them were Judai, Shou, and Asuka. The two group of three were staring down at each other.

"Loser won't duel! Rock-Paper-Scissors!" they shouted, throwing a hand out.

"Judai and Shou are not going to duel~!" Kohaku announced, for the two Osiris were the only ones who had rock, while everyone else had paper.

"No way! And I wanted to duel too..." Judai slumped.

"It can't be helped," Asuka said.

"Still, I could understand Judai and Shou, but I can't believe you want to hang out with us, Asuka," Alex stated.

"It's only out of interest."

Kohaku smirked at the 'reason'. "Interest or-"

"Continue and I'll pinch your cheeks again," the blonde Obelisk threatened.

"Ow ow ow! You already are! You already are! I give! I give!"

"Okay, okay, Asuka," Bella calmed her, releasing Kohaku from the pain. "So who's dueling who?"

Alex held out a handful of straws. "We could draw straws. They're already numbered. You duel against the one who has the same number you drew."

They agreed with the idea and drew a straw.

The match-up is Bella vs. Kohaku and Asuka vs. Alex.

"Why can't we have three duels again?" Judai questioned.

"Because, this field is big enough for only two one-on-one duels, or a tag duel," Alex reasoned.

"He has a point, Big Bro," Shou agreed.

"But I want to duel~!"

"You can have your turn, Judai," Bella said.

"Okay..."

The four active duelists took their position, activated their duel disks and drew their starting hand.

"DUEL!"

 **Bella: 4000 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 4000 LP**

And

 **Asuka: 4000 LP**  
 **Alex: 4000 LP**

"I'll start. Draw!" Bella insisted. "I activate Cost Down! By discarding one card, all monsters in my hand have their level reduced by 2! I summon Level 6 Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Kakashi as a Level 4 monster in Attack Mode!" Bella's masked ninja appeared on her field.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Kakashi: Level 6 - 2 = 4/LIGHT/Warrior/2300 ATK/1900 DEF**

"I set one card face-down. I end my turn. And at this time, Kakashi's level returns to normal."

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Kakashi: Level 4 + 2 = 6**

"My turn. Draw!" Kohaku drew her sixth card. " _Let's start this show~!_ "

Hearing that got everyone's attention.

"Kohaku are you...?" Shou began.

"Are you really...?!" Judai followed, feeling giddy.

" _You think right~!_ " she confirmed.

"I was hoping to go against that deck," Bella said.

"And against them you will. From my hand, I will activate my Field Magic, Circus Show~!" The whole field became a circus once more. For some reason, Kohaku didn't seem satisfied. "I feel like something's missing."

"What's missing?"

"Oh! _I know~_!" Kohaku snapped her fingers and the circus became somewhat similar to a jungle. The bystanders were all on a thick tree branch while the duelists and Kakashi were standing on poles.

" _Whoa!_ " Bella tried to find her balance on the pole she's on.

"Calm down, Bella," Kakashi said, looking behind him. "Remember your training."

" _Tree jumping and water walking didn't prepare me for this!_ " the duelist replied in English.

"For a duelist who uses a Shinobi Deck, I thought you'd have more balance than that," Kohaku stated, standing calmly on her pole.

"Shut up!"

"I summon Circus Freak Beast Tamer~!" Another pole appeared as Kohaku's lion-man hybrid appeared on her field.

 **Circus Freak Beast Tamer: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1700 ATK/1500 DEF**

"And because a 'Circus Freak' monster was summoned, a Circus Counter is gained~!" A balloon ball was inflated into the air. "And because a Circus Counter was gained, Kakashi will have a little make-up~!" A make-up kit apeared and powdered the ninja's face.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Kakashi: 2300 - 200 = 2100 ATK**

"Next, I activate my Equip Magic, Tightrope Walking~! This can only be equipped to 'Circus Freak' monsters. That equipped monster is allowed to attack my opponent directly~" On cue, a rope appeared and seemed to have tied itself from Beast Tamer's pole to Bella's pole. "Battle! Beast Tamer attacks the player directly~!" The part Beast-type Circus Freak leaned back on his pole, forcing said pole to bend down, bringing Bella's along. Seconds later, the pole straightened itself, rocketing Beast Tamer towards Bella. The Obelisk narrowly avoided the hit, having the attacking monster to pass her.

 **Bella: 2300 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 4000 LP**

Not long later, Beast Tamer appeared from the other side, landing on its pole. Bella regained her balance. " _Okay. That was wild._ At this point I activate my Trap Card, Damage Gate!" the Obelisk said. "When I take Battle Damage, I Special Summon one monster frmo my Graveyard whose ATK is less than or equal to the damage I took. Come, Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Sakura!" Her pink-haired female ninja appeared on her field, getting a make-up in the process.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Sakura: Level 4/EARTH/Warrior/1200 - 200 = 1000 ATK/1700 DEF**

"I set two cards face-down. Turn. End," Kohaku ended.

"My turn. Draw!" Bella drew her next card. "During my Standby Phase, Sakura's special ability activates! I gain 900 Life Points! **Mystical Palm Technique!** " Sakura healed her duelist from Beast Tamer's attack.

 **Bella: 3200 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 4000 LP**

"I summon Konohagakure Shinobi Team 8, Shino in Attack Mode!" A pale ninja with sunglasses appeared on her field.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 8, Shino: Level 4/EARTH/Warrior/900 - 200 = 700 ATK/900 DEF**

Like the other two, as soon as he showed up, he got make-up on him.

"I'm starting to hate my life," he muttered.

"Ditto," Sakura agreed.

"I activate Shino's effect! Once per turn, until the end of my opponent's turn, I can halve the ATK of one monster they control and add that amount to Shino! **Parasite Giant Insect - Bug Bite!** " The new monster threw something in Beast Tamer's mouth, forcing the hybrid to swallow it. It then seemed to be getting smaller and weaker from what it swallowed.

 **Circus Freak Beast Tamer: 1700 / 2 = 850 ATK**

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 8, Shino: 700 + 850 = 1550 ATK**

"Battle! Shino attacks Beast Tamer! **Secret Technique: Gathering Sphere!** " Shino called on a lot of bugs, forcing them all on the Spellcaster/Beast-Type monster, destroying it.

 **Bella: 3200 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 3300 LP**

"Kakashi attacks directly! **Chidori!** "

"I activate my Instant Magic, Early Performance! With its effect, I Special Summon Circus Freak Trapeze Artist from my deck in Defense Mode!" Kohaku countered, as a pole shot up with said monster on top of it.

 **Circus Freak Trapeze Artist: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1400 ATK/1000 DEF**

"I'm still taking it out!" Bella said, as Kakashi continued onward to his target.

"Oh will you? Trap Card, Trick-in-a-Box! I target one monster on each side of the field and switch control over them!"

Bella gasped as a box suddenly appeared in front of Kakashi and Trapeze Artist, sucking the two of them in and forcing them to switch places.

"And since Kakashi and Trapeze Artist swapped places, so do their stats~!" Water was splashed all over Kohaku's new ninja and Bella's non-ninja monster got himself a clown's face.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Kakashi: 2100 + 200 = 2300 ATK**

 **Circus Freak Trapeze Artist: 1400 - 200 = 1200 ATK**

"Whoa! That's cool!" Judai complimented.

"Who knew there was such a card?" Shou asked in amazement.

"You have to admit, Kohaku has some amazing tricks up her sleeve," Asuka stated.

"That I can agree with, especially that she can change her Field Magic's appearance. I don't think anyone can ever do that, unless if they used a different Field Magic," Alex agreed.

"I switch Sakura to Defense Mode and set one card face-down. Turn. End," Bella finished.

"My turn. Draw!" Kohaku drew her next card and smirked at the sight of it. "I activate the Continuous Magic, Fast Preparation~! And now Battle! Kakashi attacks Circus Freak Trapeze Artist~! **Chidori!** " The masked ninja charged at the performer and destroyed him with a lightning engulfed punch.

 **Bella: 2100 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 3300 LP**

"And Trick-in-a-Box's second effect! When monsters affected by this card are destroyed, they return to their original owner's field instead of going to the grave~! Be reborn, Trapeze Artist~!" Another pole shot up, with the said monster doing a single-handstand on top of it.

"However, its ATK is not anywhere close to my remaining monsters," the Obelisk pointed out.

"I know. But tell me. _Who is this?_ " Kohaku revealed the last card in her hand.

"Time Space Magician!" Shou identified.

"But what's he going to do?" Alex wondered.

"I'm glad you asked, Alex. Because it is here Fast Preparation's Battle Phase effect activates! By paying half my Life Points, I banish monsters I control and in my hand to perform a Fusion Summon of a 'Circus Freak' Fusion monster!" They all gasped at that information. "I banish Time Space Magician from my hand and Trapeze Artist from my field! Performer who controls time and space, become one with the inhuman performer and become the light that vanquishes all evil darkness! Fusion Summon! Appear now, arcane magician with ancient power! Circus Freak Rune Magician!" The multi-attacker Fusion monster appeared from the two fused monsters, floating in its place.

 **Circus Freak Rune Magician: Level 8/DARK/Spellcaster/3000 ATK/2200 DEF**

" _Not good,_ " Bella muttered in English.

"And with Circus Show's effect, that's another counter and loss of points!" Bella's monsters were now in clowns' jumpsuits, causing the bystanders to force back their laugh.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Sakura: 1000 - 200 = 800 ATK**

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 8, Shino: 1550 - 200 = 1350 ATK**

" _Resume the battle!_ Rune Magician can attack twice because the monster used to Fusion Summon it besides Time Space Magician was Level 4! Attack Shino and Sakura! **Repeated Ancient Light Blaster!** " The new magician let out colorful light blasts at both its targets, causing some smoke and dust to rise.

 **Bella: 650 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 1650 LP**

"Just one more turn, unless you can make a turnaround next turn," Kohaku called.

"I can and I will," followed Bella's voice. The smoke subsided, surprising the group to see Sakura still on the field with a shield in front.

"What just happened?!" Judai asked.

"Draining Shield is what happened. This negates the attack of one monster and gives me Life Points equal to its ATK."

 **Bella: 3650 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 1650 LP**

"Well, there goes that plan," the 'Circus Freak' duelist muttered. "I end my turn."

"My turn!" Bella drew her next card. "Sakura's monster effect! I gain 900 Life Points! **Mystical Palm Technique!** "

 **Bella: 4550 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 1650 LP**

"Next I summon Konohagakure Shinobi Chunin, Kotetsu in Attack Mode!" A ninja with a strip of bandage running across the bridge of his nose appeared on her field.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Chunin, Kotetsu: Level 4/EARTH/Warrior/1700 ATK/2000 DEF**

"Whoa. Would you look at this? Why are you over there, Kakashi?!" the new monster spoke.

Kakashi, on the other hand, said nothing in return.

"How cold."

"There's a reason for that," Sakura muttered.

"Don't forget even if your monster was just summoned, it gets a bit of make-up too~!" Kohaku reminded. This confused the monster as he suddenly got into a jumpsuit and had a clown's face.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Chunin, Kotetsu: 1700 - 400 = 1300 ATK**

"Nowever, I can still equip him with the Equip Magic, Conch Shell Mace!" A huge mace with the spike side being a seashell appeared in his hands. "This card can only equipped to Kotetsu. It gives him 1100 more ATK!"

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Chunin, Kotetsu: 1300 + 1100 = 2400 ATK**

"Battle! Kotetsu attacks Kakashi! **Conch Crusher!** " Kotetsu leaped into the air and slammed his weapon down at Kakashi, destroying him and bringing him back to his original side, getting his make up back and a change of clothes.

 **Bella: 4550 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 1550 LP**

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Kakashi: 2300 - 400 = 1900 ATK**

"Haha! It's great to have you back, Kakashi! At least you're not alone with being a clown, right?"

"... Kotetsu," the masked ninja spoke, looking down.

"What? You want to thank me? Oh, think nothing of it. I'm only-"

"Standing on nothing."

Kotetsu stopped after hearing that. "What?"

"Nothing but air." Kotetsu looked down and panicked as he was actually standing inches away from his pole. At that realization, he tried to get to the top, only to start to fall.

"Idiot! And you're a Chunin?!" Sakura yelled.

Kotetsu just managed to grab hold of his pole, saving himself from death. "I did not train myself for this, lady!"

"Don't you give me that excuse!"

Unlike half the people here, the other half can see what's really going on with the monsters.

' _It's time like this I wish I couldn't see Duel Spirits,_ ' Kohaku thought.

' _Can't blame him for that,_ ' Bella thought.

"Well... I continue with Kakashi! Attack Rune Magician! **Lightning Release: Lightning Beast Tracking Fang!** " Kakashi did hand signs for said move, summoning a lightning hound and sicked it onto Kohaku's monster. In retaliation, Rune Magician sent out a beam of light at the hound. The dog avoided the beam and destroyed the Fusion Monster, only for his master to get destroyed as well.

 **Bella: 3450 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 1550 LP**

"I end my turn. You're not bad, Kohaku," Bella complimented.

"Same to you. I thought Alex lost his touch when he dueled you," Kohaku complimented back.

"I heard that!" said Ra shouted.

"But now, let's see if I can make a comeback! Draw!" The female Ra drew her next card. "I summon Circus Freak Puppeteer!" The puppet-like 'Circus Freak' monster appeared on the field.

 **Circus Freak Puppeteer: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/1900 ATK/0 DEF**

"Activating Puppeteer's effect! When summoned, I take control over one monster my opponent controls! Come to me, Kotetsu!" The new monster struck its strings at Kotetsu, forcing him to switch sides. Because of that, of course, Kotetsu is no longer in a clown-like state.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Chunin, Kotetsu: 2400 + 400 = 2800 ATK**

"And let's not forget that there's another Circus Counter added~!" Up came another balloon and more make-up for Bella's lone monster, this time adding some gloves and rubber shoes.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Sakura: 800 - 200 = 600 ATK**

"This would be funny if it was Naruto, but yeah... WHY ME?!" Sakura shouted at Bella.

"He's not in my hand," the duelist softly whimpered.

"Urgh! How I wish I have his luck right now!"

"Sorry."

"I attack Sakura with Puppeteer! **String Slicer!** " Kohaku's monster threw strings at the lone ninja, wrapping her in them.

"I don't like this," she stated. Puppeteer, without warning, tossed her up into the air and spun her around, causing the poor pinkette to shriek at the spinning. Seconds later, Puppeteer's strings snapped, causing the puppet to accidentally throw Sakura away.

Everyone just stared in shock at what had happened.

"I somehow feel sorry for her," Alex broke the ice.

"Wouldn't want to be in that situation," Asuka stated. Judai and Shou nodded their heads in agreement.

"Well... That was unexpected even from the ringmaster of the performer," Kohaku admitted. "Anyway... Kotetsu attacks the player directly! **Conch Crusher!** " The ninja leaped into the air and slammed his weapon onto his original owner.

 **Bella: 650 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 1550 LP**

"Whoa! Back in the lead!" Judai exclaimed in amazement.

"Just one more turn and it's another win for Kohaku!" Shou said.

"I end my turn. And during the End Phase, Kotetsu returns to your field," the 'Circus Freak' duelist ended. Kotetsu went back and got into his ridiculous disguise again.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Chunin, Kotetsu: 2800 - 600 = 2200 ATK**

"Whoa. What just happened?" the ninja asked. "Wait, where'd these gloves and shoes come from?! And where's Sakura?!"

' _I'll explain later,_ ' Bella decided.

"My turn. Draw!" Bella drew her next card. "I summon Otogakure Shinobi, Kagero!" The blind female ninja appeared.

 **Otogakure Shinobi, Kagero: Level 4/EARTH/Warrior/1700 - 600 = 1100 ATK/2100 DEF**

"I'll make a full out assault! Go!" Bella then declared, as both her monsters destroyed Puppeteer and attacked Kohaku's Life Points. Fortunately, when Kagero attacked, it was only a flick on the forehead, a hard one at that.

 **Bella: 650 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 150 LP**

"This isn't good," Shou had a change of thought.

"It all depends on the next draw now," Asuka said.

"She better not lose," Alex gritted his teeth.

"Why?" Judai asked.

"If anyone is breaking that win streak, it'll be me, that's why!"

"O-Okay..."

"I guess ninjas are tough to beat after all," Kohaku stated.

"Well of course. That's one thing I love about this deck," Bella replied.

"I can see that. But, I'm not going to lose. Not now, not ever! Want to know why?" They all gave Kohaku a questionable look. " _Because it's time for... The Grand Finale~!_ " The scenery got dark, with only a spotlight shining down on the entertainer. " _Hola~! Bonjour~! Hello, everybody~!_ Right now I have no cards on my field except Fast Preparation and zero cards in my hand! The next draw will be one to decide everything~! Will I be able to overcome the ninjas? Or will I be beaten by them? Please watch carefully now~!" She placed her fingers on the top of her deck. Everyone looked on with such pressure, wondering what kind of card Kohaku will draw out. "DRAW!" Kohaku looked at her card and smiled at the sight of it. "Now then, how about we see some real magic~? From my hand, I activate the Magic card, Circus Shuffler! This card returns 'Circus Freak' monsters from my Banished Zone to my deck. Then it allows me to draw cards equal to the number of monsters returned this way plus one! The only cards in my Banished Zone are Circus Freak Time Space Magician and Circus Freak Trapeze Artist!" Kohaku returned the cards she removed back into her deck and shuffled. After she finished shuffling, she placed her deck back in place. "Now, since I returned two cards, I can draw three cards!" Kohaku drew her cards and seemed satisfied with the result. "And now, I activate my Magic Card, Acrobalance~! This card allows me to send monsters from my hand and/or field to my Graveyard to Fusion Summon a 'Circus Freak' Fusion monster! And would you look at what's in my hand?" She revealed her two cards to be.

"Time Space Magician?!" Bella gasped.

"And the other is a 'Circus Freak' monster!" Alex added.

"That's right. And it is here that I will fuse Time Space Magician with Circus Freak Dancer! Performer who controls time and space! Become one with the dancing performer and give a rhythmic birth to a new power! Fusion Summon! Appear now, magician with great steps! Circus Freak Dancing Magician!" A street-dancer version of Time Space Magician appeared on the field.

 **Circus Freak Dancing Magician: Level 6/DARK/Spellcaster/2000 ATK/2500 DEF**

Because of his appearance, another balloon appeared and both of Bella's ninjas' weapons changed into candies.

 **Otogakure Shinobi, Kagero: 1100 - 200 = 900 ATK**

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Chunin, Kotetsu: 2200 - 200 = 2000 ATK**

"Battle! Dancing Magician! Attack Kagero! **Rhythmic Beater!** " The new monster danced its way towards the ninja and gave him a good beating in many ways. Eventually, the beating was done, as was the duel.

 **Bella: 000 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 150 LP**

 **WINNER: KOHAKU!**

Much to everyone's relief, the holograms faded away, especially the new Circus Show field. "Whew. That was a close one," the entertainer sighed in relief.

"So close to beating you," Bella said. "But I'm glad that's over. I think you made me develop a fear for heights."

"Sorry~ Something I wanted to try~"

"Oh sure it was."

"Anyway, what about you two?" Kohaku turned to Alex and Asuka.

At first they didn't know what she meant, until they realized they had their duel disks on.

"Guess it's our turn," Alex said. Asuka nodded, until her Duel Pilot went off. She checked and saw a message from one of her friends.

"Looks like we have to duel some other time," she said.

"Oh man. I wanted to duel you though."

"We will some other time. Just not today. See you guys later." At that, Asuka ran off, leaving her friends standing there.

"... So Judai, still want to duel?"


	12. Chess and Dinos vs Circus and Ninjas

**Coral: Finally finished this stupid chapter!  
**

 **Aki: Shouldn't have done filler arcs, huh?**

 **Coral: Not only that! It's my stupid, god-forsaken parents!**

 **Aki: Huh?**

 **Coral: They think just because they're my parents, they can just shout and yell at me, using angry tones at me, acting like I had killed someone! Oh! How I hate them so much now!**

 **Aki: W-W-Wait, I don't know if you're suppose to say any of that-**

 **Coral: I don't care! I used to be able to resist they stupid anger issues, but this has gone too far! So far, they had a second strike. If they don't find they're mistakes, I am leaving the family!**

 **Aki: And where would you go?**

 **Coral: Los Angeles.**

 **Aki: And why there?**

 **Coral: Because, there's a good friend who lives there. One that I can trust with my life, even if I haven't met the person.**

 **Aki: Haven't- What if he's a killer?**

 **Coral: If he is, then I would be happier.**

 **Aki: Reason?**

 **Coral: It would save me from the torture even more so!**

 **Aki: THAT'S WHY?!**

 **Coral: If you were in my shoe, you'd feel the same! Besides, they're suppose to be my parents, yet they don't know that I am extremely sensitive to words and volumes and tones, the latter two especially if mixed together!**

 **Aki: How did this happen?**

 **Coral: Mistrust and blame! Few days ago, they stopped believing in everything I say and blamed me for things that I didn't do! Like the phone call we got last night from my school saying I cut a class when I sure as hell did not cut a single class! If it was senior seminar, that's a different story since it was okay to cut that class anyway, and not to mention all seniors from my school would get calls saying that they cut that class anyway if they have it! I told those idiots many times it didn't matter, would they listen? NO! THEY DIDN'T F***ING LISTEN TO ME! They did once, then they stopped believing in me! What kind of parents do that?!**

 **Aki: *bit frightened* O-Okay, okay... J-Just calm down...**

 **Coral: I'm so mad I could just kill someone right now! WATER DRAGON'S ROAR! *breathed out a humongous, scalding water, destroying everything on sight, almost hitting Aki***

 **Aki: I... think I hear Yusei calling. *ran away***

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 ** _*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*_**

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

It was after school. Many students were in the Duel Stadium, watching a duel going on. The ones dueling were two female Ra Yellows and Bella and Kohaku. On the field are a butterfly in clown's clothes wearing a jester hat, a red mechanical T-Rex looking quite goofy, Naruto, Sasuke, Circus Freak Rune Magician with three counters, Circus Freak Destiny, and a couple of face-downs on both sides.

"My turn. Draw." The female Ra with a fang necklace drew her next card. She smirked at the card she drew. "I activate my Magic Card, _**Extinction Fusion**_! This allows me to banish Dinosaur-Type monsters from my field and Graveyard to Fusion Summon a Dinosaur-Type Fusion Monster from my deck who uses those monsters as Fusion Materials! I banish Robo Dino Red Rex, Robo Dino Brown Ceratops, Robo Dino Blue Bracchio, Robo Dino Purple Raptor, and Robo Dino Cyan Dactyl and fuse them! Fusion Summon! Ultimate Robo Dino Black Godzilla!" A huge dinosaur, big enough to reach the ceiling, appeared on the field.

 **Ultimate Robo Dino Black Godzilla: Level 12/EARTH/Dinosaur/? ATK/? DEF**

"Unknown ATK?" Kohaku questioned.

"Something must be up," Bella said.

"There is. Black Godzilla's ATK and DEF becomes 1000 for banished 'Robo Dino' monsters!" The monstrous dinosaur let out a massive roar as its power skyrocketed.

 **Ultimate Robo Dino Black Godzilla: ? -} 5000 ATK/? -} 5000 DEF**

"And what's more is that he is unaffected by any and all of my opponent's card effects!" She made eye-contact with her partner.

"I activate Princess Butterfly's monster effect! Once per turn, during either player's turn, I can tribute this card to double the ATK of one monster on the field! I double the ATK of Black Godzilla!" The dinosaur grew twice its own size, growing from its new-found power.

 **Ultimate Robo Dino Black Godzilla: 5000 x 2 = 10000 ATK**

"Battle! Ultimate Robo Dino Black Godzilla! Attack Destiny and end this duel! **Black God's Lightning Flare!** " The monster breathed out electrical white flames at the young Spellcaster.

How did this happen? Let's go back to what happened earlier when the school day ended.

* * *

 _ ***EARLIER***_

"Time Space Magician! Finish this!" Kohaku declared, as she completely wiped the floor with Judai... again.

 **Judai: 0000 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 3000 LP**

 **WINNER: KOHAKU!**

"Oh come on! I lost again!" the 'Elemental Hero' duelist complained.

"Look on the bright side, Judai. At least you were a lot closer in beating her," Bella told him.

That immediately got Judai back on his feet. "That's true!"

"That's a fast recovery!"

"Well, this is Judai we're talking about," Alex pointed out.

"True that," Kohaku agreed.

"Hey!" The group of four turned and saw two girls of Ra Yellow looking at them. "I'm surprised you're still with that monster," said a Ra short green hair and a beetle hairpin.

"More like surprised that said monster is still here," a Ra with a fang necklace added.

"Who are you to say who we can hang out with?" Alex demanded.

"Yeah. Besides, it's not her fault she has powers," Kohaku defended.

"Well, I guess it's reasonable for someone like you to defend a monster," the green-haired Ra said. "After all, you're sister was a monster too."

"You take that back! My sister wasn't a monster! Just because she has powers doesn't mean she's a monster! Same goes with Bella!"

"That's the whole point. Whenever she duels, all that follows is pain," the Ra with the fang necklace said.

"So she can't control her powers, so what? That doesn't mean she meant to hurt her opponents, besides, she's being careful with her powers at least! In case you haven't noticed, back when she dueled Alex, she was careful as to not attack him! Or are the two of you so blind by fear that you couldn't see how nice she actually is?"

"Kohaku..." Bella was touched at how the 'Circus Freak' duelist was sticking up for her.

"As expected from Kohaku!" Hibiki exclaimed.

"That's the one thing I respect about her," Tsubasa nodded.

"You really mean to tell us, that you'd rather be with a monster than normal people?" the fang necklace Ra asked.

"At least she has more heart than you two," Kohaku confirmed.

"Really? Then why don't the monster itself prove it?" the other female Ra suggested. "A tag duel. Me and Mimi vs you and monster girl."

"It's okay with me. What about you Bella?" the former performer asked the Obelisk.

"I-It's okay..."

"Then it's settled. Where and when?"

"Duel Stadium. Now," the two Ras replied in unison.

"But that's not enough time!" Alex tried to reason.

"Don't worry about it, Alex. I trust Bella. And I also trust that our deck will be compatible with each other," his fellow Ra friend assured.

"... If you say so."

* * *

 _ ***LATER, IN THE DUEL STADIUM***_

Apparently, word got out about the duel and many Duel Academia students ran to the stadium to take a seat and watch the duel. Or to be more exact, watch someone 'take down the monster'.

"Someone spread rumors, didn't they?" Kohaku questioned, not happy with hearing people talking behind Bella's back and calling her a monster. So it seemed to her that either no one really understood her message or they became blinded by their own fears.

"It's okay... I don't mind..." Bella said. Though by the tone of her voice, she is bothered by the words being spoken.

"Man. These guys are all jerks!" Naruto complained.

"None of them are even giving Bella a chance," Sakura agreed.

"I know how you feel. But think of this as a chance for your duelist to redeem herself," Time Space Magician calmly advised. "All she has to do is use this chance wisely."

"I agree with him on that," Kakashi said. "This is her big chance. If she can win the duel and everyone's trust, then she'll be even happier during her time here."

"Yeah. We should support her on this decision," Sasuke agreed.

The four duelists were on the field, one pair staring the other pair down.

"You'll be crushed-"

"-and be feared-"

"-by us!" Mimi and her friend said.

"Mayze the Insect Monarch!"

"Mimi the Robo Dino Queen."

"And together we're Team Insectzoid!"

"Why do I have a strange sense of de ja vu?" Kohaku asked.

"Today, the two of you will be crushed!" Mayze declared.

"Although we intended only to take out the monster girl," Mimi said.

"But at least we can also take out the sister of another monster!" both said in unison.

"Oh that's why. They sound like those twins Judai and Shou dueled," Kohaku thought out loud.

"Don't compare us with those losers!" they said in unison again. "We're nothing like those two duelists who separate how a powerful deck is suppose to work!"

"Similarities have increased."

"We each start with 8000 Life Points. Good?" Mimi asked. Kohaku and Bella nodded.

"In that case,-"

"DUEL!"

 **Insectzoid: 8000 LP**  
 **Kohaku and Bella: 8000 LP**

"I'll start first. Draw!" Mayze drew her sixth card. "I summon Pawn Ant Soldier!" A two legged ant in a squire's clothes appeared.

 **Pawn Ant Soldier: Level 2/EARTH/Insect/500 ATK/500 DEF**

"Next I activate my Magic Card, Piece Exchange! This card can activate when I have a 'Pawn' monster on my field! I release that monster and Special Summon a 'Rook', 'Knight', 'Bishop', 'Princess' or 'Prince' monster from my deck! I release Pawn Ant Soldier to Special Summon Bishop Ant Mage!" The ant was out of the squire's clothes and in a white mage's clothes and was in Defense Mode.

 **Bishop Ant Mage: Level 6/EARTH/Insect/2000 ATK/2400 DEF**

"I activate Bishop Ant Mage's monster effect! Once per turn, I discard one Insect-type monster from my hand and gain 600 Life Points times the discarded monster's level! From my hand, I discard Level 7, Queen of Ants! **White Healing!** " The ant used its magic to raise Mayze and Mimi's Life Points.

 **Insectzoid: 12200 LP**  
 **Kohaku and Bella: 8000 LP**

"I set one card face-down and end my turn."

"Then it's my turn! Draw!" Kohaku drew her next card. " _Good afternoon, everybody~!_ " About half the audience cheered the moment she shouted that. " _What time is it?_ "

" _It's time to start the show!_ " the Reds all answered.

"That's correct! From my hand, I activate my Field Magic, Circus Show!" The whole stadium became her circus. "Now then, let's start off with my Instant Magic, Early Performance! And using this effect, I will Special Summon Circus Freak Juggler~!" A monkey on a unicycle appeared on the field.

 **Circus Freak Juggler: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1600 ATK/1000 DEF**

"Juggler's monster effect activates! When this card is summoned, he gains a Circus Counter!" The monkey began to juggle a ball. "Next, Circus Show's effect! Since a 'Circus Freak' monster was summoned on my field, it also gains a Circus Counter~!" A balloon ball was inflated and floating on the field. "And, because there's a Circus Counter on Circus Show, does anyone know what that means~?"

"Bishop Ant Mage loses 200 ATK!" someone answered.

"That's correct~. Now then, Bishop Ant Mage, time to give you a little make-up~!" A make-up kit appeared and powdered the Insect-type's face, making it clown-like.

 **Bishop Ant Mage: 2000 - 200 = 1800 ATK**

"Hey! You can't do that to my monster!" Mayze complained.

"This is my duel style!" Kohaku defended. "Anyway, following Juggler will be Circus Freak Spinner~!" Next to the juggling monkey is an Indian performer.

 **Circus Freak Spinner: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1500 ATK/1400 DEF**

"And since another 'Circus Freak' monster was summoned, that's another Circus Counter on Circus Show~!" Another balloon ball appeared and the 'Bishop' monster was now in a jumpsuit.

 **Bishop Ant Mage: 1800 - 200 = 1600 ATK**

"I said don't get my monster in that ridiculous costume!" Mayze complained again.

"I have no control over my card's effect!" Kohaku shouted back. "Anyway, because Spinner was summoned, his effect activates! For every 'Circus Freak' monster on my field, he gains a Circus Counter! There are two on my field, so that's two Circus Counters for Spinner~!" Two poles with each their ends on fire appeared from above. Spinner caught both the poles and spun them around him, dancing with the lit poles. "I now activate the Magic Card, Double Performance! I'll use this to fuse Circus Freak Time Space Magician from my hand and Circus Freak Spinner and Juggler from my field! Performer who controls time and space, become one with the juggle master and spin master, and become the new light that vanquishes the evil darkness! Fusion Summon! Appear now, arcane magician with ancient power! Circus Freak Rune Magician!" The three monsters fused and formed the cyan magician.

 **Circus Freak Rune Magician: Level 8/DARK/Spellcaster/3000 ATK/2200 DEF**

"Rune Magician's monster effect activates! When Fusion Summoned, all of his Fusion Materials' Circus Counters goes to him!" Rune Magician's Circus Counters were rings that appeared on his staff. "And for each Circus Counter it gained, my opponent takes 200 points of damage! **Arcane Shot!** " The three rings separated from the staff and rocketed towards Mayze and Mimi, inflicting damage onto them.

 **Insectzoid: 11600 LP**  
 **Kohaku and Bella: 8000 LP**

"And because he's a 'Circus Freak' Monster, that's another make-up~!" The bishop insect wore gloves and shoes, just for clowns.

 **Bishop Ant Mage: 1600 - 200 = 1400 ATK**

"Cut it out with-! You know what? I give up on telling you to stop that!" Mayze said.

"I have no control over the effect anyway," Kohaku muttered. "I end my turn with a face-down."

"My turn. Draw." Mimi drew her next card. "I activate Double Summon. This card allows me to Normal Summon twice this turn. I summon Robo Dino Brown Ceratops and Robo Dino Red Rex!" Two mechanical dinosaurs, one a brown triceratops and the other a big red tyrannosaurus, appeared on her field.

 **Robo Dino Brown Ceratops: Level 4/EARTH/Dinosaur/1800 ATK/1500 DEF**

 **Robo Dino Red Rex: Level 4/EARTH/Dinosaur/2000 ATK/1700 DEF**

"Next I activate Robo Dino Cyan Dactyl's effect from my hand. If I control two or more 'Robo Dino' monsters, I can Special Summon this card from my hand." A light blue mechanical pterodactyl appeared with the other two dinosaurs.

 **Robo Dino Cyan Dactyl: Level 4/EARTH/Dinosaur/1400 ATK/1000 DEF**

"Next, I'll fuse them!" The t-rex spun a bit, moving its head to its side and loosening its tail. Its legs also faced to the same side as the head. The triceratops jumped and connected itself to where the t-rex's head was. The pterodactyl then attached itself to the other side of the tyranno, or rather the back of the new body formed, as a head emerged from the red dinosaur's back. "Meet Robo Dino Warrior."

 **Robo Dino Warrior: Level 7/EARTH/Warrior/3000 ATK/2000 DEF**

"That thing has as much power as Rune Magician!" Bella stated.

"However, with Circus Show's effect, it's power should've gone down. Not only that, why didn't their power go down before they fused?" Kohaku pointed out.

"'Robo Dino' Dinosaur- type monsters are unaffected by opponent's card effect as long as there's another 'Robo Dino' monster on the field. For Robo Dino Warrior, he doesn't get affected by opponent's card effects anyway."

"Oh, that explains it."

"I end my turn."

"My turn. Draw!" Bella drew her sixth card. "I summon Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Naruto in Attack Mode!" The blonde ninja boy appeared.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Naruto: Level 4/WIND/Warrior/1400 ATK/800 DEF**

"I set three cards face-down and end my turn!"

"All right. Come at me!" Naruto challenged. He took one look at the clown dressed ant and laughed hysterically.

"At ease, young one," Rune Magician spoke using Time Space Magician's voice.

Naruto couldn't calm down and kept laughing. "B-But still! That doesn't look right!"

His constant laughing began to annoy the clown-dressed monster, not that anyone else can see what's really going on besides the female psychics.

"My turn! Draw!" Mayze drew her next card. "I activate Monster Reborn! This allows me to bring Queen of Ants back on my field!" A royal ant highness appeared on the field.

 **Queen of Ants: Level 7/EARTH/Insect/2500 ATK/1900 DEF**

"Because of Circus Show's effect, your Queen meets the same fate as the bishop!" Kohaku exclaimed, as the royal ant highness now donned the same clothes as her loyal subject.

 **Queen of Ants: 2500 - 600 = 1900 ATK**

Seeing this, however, caused Naruto to laugh harder. "Ah! Please stop! You're killing me here!"

"Then from my hand, I activate King of Ants' monster effect! If Queen of Ants is on my field, this card can be Special Summoned from my hand!" A bigger ant with a golden staff in the same clothes as the queen appeared.

 **King of Ants: Level 8/EARTH/Insect/2900 ATK/2100 DEF**

"And as long as he's on the field, all 'Ant' monsters are unaffected by card effects!" The new ant released some energy from its staff, getting its queen and subject out of the costumes.

 **Queen of Ants: 1900 + 600 = 2500 ATK**

 **Bishop Ant Mage: 1400 + 600 = 2000 ATK**

"Next, I will activate my Trap Card, Lair Wire! With this card, I remove 1 Insect-Type monster from my Graveyard from play to destroy one monster my opponent controls!" Mayze continued. "I remove Pawn Ant Soldier to destroy your Rune Magician!" An electrifying wed appeared above the Fusion monster, falling on top of it and sent out electricity. "Hah! There goes your ace!"

Kohaku, however, only smirked, as she snapped her fingers. The field got dark and only a spotlight shined upon something. " _Oh folks! Who is that over there~?_ " They all got a good look at the person the spotlight was showing. " _It's Circus Freak Rune Magiciaaaaaan~!_ "

"What?! How is that possible?!"

"The moment your Trap Card activated, I activated my own Trap Card, Grand Escape!" Kohaku explained.

"I thought that card works if your monster is attacked!"

"It's either that or a card effect activates that destroys a 'Circus Freak' monster. And because of your Lair Wire, not only did it activate Grand Escape and save Rune Magician from destruction, you won't be able to conduct your Battle Phase~! Also, I draw cards equal to the amount of monsters my opponent controls that didn't declare at attack~!" Kohaku drew three cards.

"You bastard... I set one card face-down and end my turn!"

"Mayze, calm down," Mimi said.

"You're one to talk," her partner growled.

"My turn, draw!" Kohaku drew her fourth card. "Rune Magician's effect! Since two of the three Fusion Materials were total level of 6, he can attack three times! Battle! Rune Magician, attack King of Ants, Queen of Ants, and Bishop Ant Mage~! **Repeated Ancient Light Blaster!** " Her monster sent out its signature move on the three insects, obliterating them.

 **Insectzoid: 10000 LP**  
 **Kohaku and Bella: 8000 LP**

"I set two cards face-down and I end my turn."

"During your End Phase, I activate my Trap Card, Pawn Revolution!" Mayze declared. "With this card, I can Special Summon 'Pawn' monsters from my deck equal to the number of monsters I control that were destroyed by Battle! So come, Pawn Butterfly Soldiers!" Three butterflies in squire clothes appeared. However, because of a certain card, their ATK lowered to no ATK.

 **Pawn Butterfly Soldiers: Level 2/EARTH/Insect/400 - 600 = 0 ATK/800 DEF**

"And now it's my turn. Draw." Mimi drew her next card. "From my hand I activate Robo Dino Blue Bracchio's monster effect. Discarding it from my hand to Special Summon and equip one 'Robo Dino' Union monster from my deck to one 'Robo Dino' monster I control. I select Robo Dino Purple Raptor and equip it to Robo Dino Warrior." A purple mechanical raptor appeared. The machine warrior recalled the tail/left arm and the new fake dinosaur attached itself onto it, becoming a chainsaw as the Fusion monster's new left arm. "And Purple Raptor's Union effect. When equipped to a monster, the equipped monster gains half its ATK points. Purple Raptor's ATK is 1600. That's 800 ATK boost."

 **Robo Dino Purple Raptor: Level 4/EARTH/Dinosaur/1600 ATK/900 DEF**

 **Robo Dino Warrior: 3000 + 800 = 3800 ATK**

"That's one mean looking weapon there," Naruto stated.

"Battle. Robo Dino Warrior. Attack Naruto." The dinosaur-mixed warrior slowly made its way towards the ninja.

"Trap Card open! Ninja Support!" Bella countered. "When a 'Shinobi' monster I control is being attacked, by sending one 'Shinobi' monster from my hand to my Graveyard, I can target one 'Shinobi' monster on the field and have it gain ATK equal to the ATK of the monster I discarded. I discard Konohagakure Shinobi Team 8, Kurenai and give Naruto 2000 ATK boost!" A black haired woman appeared and gave Naruto her strength.

"Use it well," she said before leaving.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Naruto: 1400 + 2000 = 3400 ATK**

"However, that's still not enough to save you or your monster," Mimi said.

"Which is why I'm using Naruto's ability! By discarding one card from my hand to the Graveyard, I can negate his destruction and Special Summon a Shadow Clone Token!" Naruto took out his kunai knife and somehow blocked the attack. However, the force still pushed him back.

"Purple Raptor has another effect. When attacking a monster, the Battle Damage the equipped monster inflicts doubles."

 **Insectzoid: 10000 LP**  
 **Kohaku and Bella: 7200 LP**

After that attack hits, Naturo summoned a Shadow Clone.

 **Shadow Clone Token:** **Level 2/WIND/Warrior/700 ATK/400 DEF**

"I set one card face-down and end my turn."

"At this time, when the Battle Phase ends, Naruto's ATK returns to normal." Kurenai's power left Naruto's body.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Naruto: 3400 - 2000 = 1400 ATK**

"Now it's my turn. Draw!" Bella drew her next card. "I summon Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Sasuke in Attack Mode!" The ninja in blue appeared with the two blonde ninjas.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Sasuke: Level 4/FIRE/Warrior/1600 ATK/1000 DEF**

"Looks like you need help, Mr. I-Can-Do-Things-Without-A-Problem," Sasuke mocked.

"Shut it!" Naruto snapped.

"Not my fault you're weak."

"Why you...!"

"Next, I activate my face-down Equip Magic, Blaze Release: Kagutsuchi!" Bella interrupted. "This card can only be equipped to Sasuke! Now Battle! I attack one of the Pawn Butterfly Soldiers with Sasuke!" The new ninja charged at one of the butterflies. "Now I activate Kagutsuchi's effect! During the Battle Phase, I can activate one of the three effects! I'll activate its piercing effect! And along with that effect, Sasuke gains 400 ATK!" Sasuke's left eye glowed as black flames appeared and formed a sword in his hand. Sasuke threw his weapon at one of the soldiers and destroyed it, as well as dealing damage to the opposing team. Fortunately, the blade missed the two Ras, saving them from death.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Sasuke: 1600 + 400 = 2000 ATK**

 **Insectzoid: 8800 LP**  
 **Kohaku and Bella: 7200 LP**

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Sasuke: 2000 - 400 = 1600 ATK**

"Hey! That was dangerous!" Mayze complained. "What? Do you really want to kill us that bad?"

"It's not like she meant it. Besides, it's not like anyone could've just predicted that," Kohaku defended her partner.

"Was I asking you? I was talking to the monster right next to you!"

"We could've died from that," Mimi added. "With you, all damages becomes real. Just look at this sword; the mark it left is actually there."

The audience were silently conversing among themselves, all thinking that Mayze and Mimi were right about Bella being a monster. Of course, the Obelisk in question got bothered by those words.

In the audience, Judai and Alex looked around, not believing that people were starting to agree with the two Ras just for something that wasn't intended.

"I can't believe these guys!" Alex said.

"Yeah. It's not like Bella wanted to hurt them anyway!" Judai agreed.

"Hey! Why don't you all shut up!" Naruto shouted. Being a duel monster, however, no one can hear him except for a selected few.

"Maybe... I shouldn't be here after all..." Bella sadly muttered.

All the murmurs in the crowd about Bella was starting to get to Kohaku. In fact, it only brought back memories of the times when many people heard about her late sister's powers and accused her of being a monster.

"I just hope it's not going to affect the duel. After all, this duel is Bella's chance to prove herself, if that duel she had with me didn't do anything for her."

"I... I end my turn..." Bella spoke.

Kohaku looked at her with a worried look. "Bella..."

"My turn!" Mayze drew her next card. "I activate my second Piece Exchange! I send my two Pawn Butterfly Soldiers to Special Summon Princess Butterfly and Rook Butterfly Tower!" The two pawns became a princess and a heavily armored butterflies. At least, they would've looked like one if it wasn't for Circus Show.

 **Princess Butterfly: Level 4/EARTH/Insect/1500 - 600 = 900 ATK/1500 DEF**

 **Rook Butterfly Tower: Level 5/EARTH/Insect/2000 - 600 = 1400 ATK/2600 DEF**

"Next, I activate Magnum Shield! This card can only be equipped to Warrior-type monsters! While in Defense Position, the equipped monster gains DEF equal to its ATK!"

"Huh? But both your monsters are Insect-Types," Kohaku said.

"While Princess Butterfly is on the field, Rook Butterfly Tower is considered as a Warrior-Type!" Mayze explained, as a broken shield of some kind appeared in the armored butterfly's... hands?

 **Rook Butterfly Tower: 2600 + 1400 = 4000 DEF**

"I end my turn."

"I don't know what that was for, but draw!" Kohaku drew her next card. " _Hola~! Bonjour~! Hello, everybody~!_ " Everyone disregarded their fear for Bella's power and focused completely on Kohaku's dueling style. "Does anyone know what we're up to?"

" _The Grand Finale!_ " the audience all answered.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! And not only that; _this is the Grand Finale, Part 1!_ "

" _Part 1?_ " Mayze repeated.

"Do you mean to tell me, that you're calling the end on this turn and your next turn?" Mimi guessed.

"Nope. I'm calling the end on my turn and my partner's turn!" the 'Circus Freak' duelist corrected.

"You mean... you want that monster to kill us?"

"You're crazy! I knew there was something wrong with you from the very beginning!" Mayze accused.

Kohaku lightly glared at the two Ras. "Bella's not going to kill you. I trust her. That's why I'm calling this the first part of the Grand Finale!"

Said Obelisk couldn't help but stare at her partner. "Kohaku..."

"Firstly! I summon Circus Freak Destiny!" The child Time Space Magician appeared on the field.

 **Circus Freak Destiny: Level 2/DARK/Spellcaster/500 ATK/500 DEF**

"Next, with Circus Show's effect, a Circus Counter is gained and my opponent's monsters have themselves more make-up!" Princess Butterfly's crown became a clown's hat and Rook Butterfly Tower's shield became a frisbee.

 **Princess Butterfly: 900 - 200 = 700 ATK**

 **Rook Butterfly Tower: 1400 - 200 = 1200 ATK/4000 - 200 = 3800 ATK**

"Next, I activate my Magic Card, Team Performance! With this card, a 'Circus Freak' monster I control gains 300 ATK for each Circus Counter on the field! However, in exchange, that monster can attack a number of times equal to the number of 'Circus Freak' monster on the field!"

"Right now, there are two 'Circus Freak' monsters on your field. You're only going to lose an attack," Mimi calmly analyzed.

"That's right. And that's one cost I'm willing to pay! I give Circus Freak Rune Magician all that power!" The cyan magician grew as his power was increasing by the three rings on his staff and the four balloon balls.

 **Circus Freak Rune Magician: 3000 + (7 x 300) = 5100 ATK**

"Battle! Rune Magician attacks Robo Dino Warrior! **Ancient Light Blaster!** " Rune Magician ran forward. Destiny got in front and gave the older monster a lift in his jump. In mid-air, Rune Magician flashily released a beam of light at the robotic monster, destroying it.

 **Insectzoid: 6700 LP  
Kohaku and Bella: 7200 LP**

"When Robo Dino Warrior is destroyed, I can Special Summon a 'Robo Dino' monster used to summon this card from my Graveyard. I Special Summon Robo Dino Red Rex from my Graveyard," Mimi explained, as the red mechanical dinosaur appeared on the field in Defense Mode.

 **Robo Dino Red Rex: 2000 - 800 = 1200 ATK**

"Now attack Princess Butterfly! **Repeated Ancient Light Blaster!** "

"Rook Butterfly Tower's monster effect! When Princess Butterfly is targeted for an attack or card effect, the attack or effect is redirected to Rook Butterfly Tower! **Protection Wall!** " The armored butterfly stepped in the way of the attack and took the beam.

"I end my turn. And Rune Magician's ATK returns to normal."

 **Circus Freak Rune Magician: 5100 - 2100 = 3000 ATK**

"My turn. Draw." Mimi drew her next card. She smirked at the sight of it. "I activate my Magic Card, _**Extinction Fusion**_! This allows me to banish Dinosaur-Type monsters from my field and Graveyard to Fusion Summon a Dinosaur-Type Fusion Monster from my deck who uses those monsters as Fusion Materials! I banish Robo Dino Red Rex, Robo Dino Brown Ceratops, Robo Dino Blue Bracchio, Robo Dino Purple Raptor, and Robo Dino Cyan Dactyl and fuse them! Fusion Summon! Ultimate Robo Dino Black Godzilla!" A huge dinosaur, big enough to reach the ceiling, appeared on the field.

 **Ultimate Robo Dino Black Godzilla: Level 12/EARTH/Dinosaur/? ATK/? DEF**

"Unknown ATK?" Kohaku questioned.

"Something must be up," Bella said.

"There is. Black Godzilla's ATK and DEF becomes 1000 for banished 'Robo Dino' monsters!" The monstrous dinosaur let out a massive roar as its power skyrocketed.

 **Ultimate Robo Dino Black Godzilla: ? -} 5000 ATK/? -} 5000 DEF**

"And what's more is that he is unaffected by any and all of my opponent's card effects!" She made eye-contact with her partner.

"I activate Princess Butterfly's monster effect! Once per turn, during either player's turn, I can tribute this card to double the ATK of one monster on the field! I double the ATK of Black Godzilla!" The dinosaur grew twice its own size, growing from its new-found power.

 **Ultimate Robo Dino Black Godzilla: 5000 x 2 = 10000 ATK**

"Battle! Ultimate Robo Dino Black Godzilla! Attack Destiny and end this duel! **Black God's Lightning Flare!** " The monster breathed out electrical white flames at the young Spellcaster.

"Destiny's monster effect! During either player's Battle Phase, I remove a Circus Counter and draw one card! If that card is a monster, I take damage equal to its ATK and Special Summon it! If it's a Magic or Trap card, I release Destiny to Special Summon a 'Circus Freak' monster from my Graveyard! I remove Rune Magician's Circus Counter to draw a card!" One of Kohaku's Fusion Monster's rings disappeared, as the Entertainment Duelist placed her hand on her deck. "Now then, everyone, as I draw out my card, I would like you all to make a drum roll please~!" Little by little, the audience made a drum roll, increasing the tension as Kohaku slowly drew out her card. "DRAW!" She revealed the card to be-

"It's here~! Trap Card~! Miraculous Stunt~! With this, Destiny can now evolve to his older self~! Does anyone know who that older self is~?" Destiny jumped over the beam and transformed into his older self. " _It's Circus Freak Time Space Magician~!_ "

"No way!" the two opposing Ras shouted, while everyone else in the audience cheered at the turnaround.

"And with another 'Circus Freak' monster summoned, Circus Show gains another Circus Counter~!" Another balloon ball appeared. "And lastly, our princess has now become one of us~!" Princess Butterfly became a full-fledged clown. The sight of this caused Naruto to laugh hysterically.

"AHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHAHAHA! S-Some princess! That's a princess, all right. A princess of clowns!" Naruto laughed, falling on his butt. Even Sasuke let out a smirk at the sight.

"T-That is... funny," Bella admitted, looking away from the sight before her, holding back her laugh. In fact, the audience was laughing as well.

"Quit laughing at my monster!" Mayze shouted, red in frustration. She heard a light chuckle near her and turned to see Mimi looking away, holding back a laugh. "Even you, Mimi?!"

"S-Sorry...!" she apologized, trying not to look at the condition of the insect-type. "But anyway... I can still attack! Go, Black Godzilla! **Black God's Lightning Flare!** " The monster let out another electrical white flames, this time at Rune Magician, since Time Space Magician was in Defense Mode.

"From my hand, I activate Miraculous Stunt!" the controller of the 'Circus Freak' monster defended.

"What are you saying? That's a trap card! You can't activate it from your hand! Especially not during another player's turn!" Mayze corrected.

" _True._ However, Miraculous Stunt has a loophole~ This card can be activated from my hand if I control a 'Circus Freak' monster by paying 1000 Life Points! A 'Circus Freak' monster I control cannot be destroyed in any way and I take half the Battle Damage I would've gotten from battle that includes that monster!"

"What?!" her opponents, Bella and the audience gasped.

 **Insectzoid: 6700 LP  
Kohaku and Bella: 6200 LP**

Rune Magician let out his signature attack at the flames, practically on even with his opponent's power. "For milady... I won't lose!" the Spellcaster Fusion monster shouted. He managed to cancel out the flames, creating huge fireworks.

" _Oh ho!_ Rune Magician created such magnificent fireworks~!" Kohaku shouted at the top of her lungs in excitement.

"Beautiful..." a female Obelisk said, captivated by the fireworks.

"Awesome..." an Obelisk admitted.

Despite this, the 'Circus Freak' and ninja duelist still lost Life Points.

 **Insectzoid: 6700 LP  
Kohaku and Bella: 2700 LP**

"So you see now, Bella?" Kohaku asked her partner.

"Huh? Uh... Yeah..." the Obelisk answered.

"Good."

' _See what, though?_ ' Bella wondered. ' _Was she... trying to tell me something?_ ' It was then Bella realized something. ' _That's right! Kohaku's sister was just like me. Having these dangerous powers, being seen as a monster. But wait, I saw some of Animer Circus' acts and I watched a video last night that had Kohaku and her twin in it. They both... had fun. The audience, they weren't only cheering for Kohaku; they cheered for her sister too. They loved the two of them, even though at the beginning, I wasn't able to see it that well, but I did faintly hear some people saying some horrible things about the sister. Then... Was Kohaku trying to tell me to...?_ '

"I end my turn," Mimi ended, bringing Bella out of her thoughts. "And at this time, Black Godzilla's ATK returns to normal. Make your move, monster." The black dinosaur returned to the size it was at before the extra boost happened.

 **Robo Dino Black Godzilla: 10000 / 2 = 5000 ATK**

"My turn!" The dueling Obelisk placed her hand on her deck.

' _I think I understand what you'r trying to tell me, Kohaku. I'll try it. And I will succeed!_ ' Bella thought.

"DRAW!" She drew her next card. " _Ladies and gentlemen~!_ It is now time for the ninjas to make a flashy ending~!" Everyone, including the monsters, had their attention on Bella, wondering how she's going to finish the duel, especially since she's going to copy Kohaku's dueling style.

"Like you can actually do anything nice, monster," Mayze said in disgust.

"True. But I can at least try! I activate my Trap Card, Rasengan! This card can only be activated when I have a 'Naruto' monster and a 'Shadow Token' on the field! By releasing the token, I can destroy one monster on the field and inflict damage to my opponent equal to half its ATK, even if it can't be affected by card effects!" This shocked Team Insectzoid, as the Shadow Token got close to Naruto, gathering chakra into the original's right hand.

"Take this!" the original shouted, as he charged forward at the big monster before him. He slammed the ball of chakra deep into the monster's chest. Instead of it being destroyed and gathering smoke and creating a shockwave, Black Godzilla became pixels of data. The pixels suddenly burst away from each other, like a firework.

"No way!" Team Insectzoid gasped, not believing that a monster can actually do something so beautiful.

"No bad, idiot," Sasuke complimented Naruto.

"Heh. That was a piece of cake," the blonde ninja boasted.

 **Insectzoid: 4200 LP  
Kohaku and Bella: 2700 LP**

"I activate Black Godzilla's effect! When destroyed, I can discard a 'Robo Dino' monster from my hand to Special Summon him back! In my hand, I have Robo Dino Yellow Stego! And when he's sent to the Graveyard from my hand, I can attach him to a 'Robo Dino' monster on my field!" The black dinosaur returned, along with a yellow stegosaurus, who separated and attached itself onto the Dinosaur Fusion monster, like an armor.

"I'm not done yet! I activate my other face-down card! Trap card, Scorch Release: Halo Hurricane Jet Black Arrow Style Zero! This card can only activate if 'Rasengan' is in my Graveyard and 'Blaze Release: Kagutsuchi' is on the field! It destroys and banishes all monsters on the field!"

"That won't happen this time! Trap card open, Robo Dino Enforcer! By destroying one 'Robo Dino' card on my field, I can negate and destroy an opponent's card effect!" Black Godzilla detached and threw his armor at the just activated card, destroying it.

"There goes that plan~" Mayze mocked.

Bella looked down, ashamed at herself for not doing what Kohaku hoped to do.

"It's okay, Bella," said girl spoke. The Obelisk turned to her partner. "Leave this part to me! I activate Circus Show's effect! During any player's Main Phase, when this card has five Circus Counters, I can destroy this card to destroy all of my opponent's cards!" This shocked everyone, as the circus became magical, the balloon balls all glowed and all the circus items all floated around. The tent flapped around, slowly elevating off the ground. Soon enough, the whole field magically returned to normal. "After Circus Show leaves the field, all of its Circus Counters are moved to one card on the field. That card would be Rune Magician!" The cyan magician gained more rings on his staff, bringing his counters up to seven.

"And what would that do? All you did was destroy your own card," Mayze pointed out.

"Oh did I?" The moment Kohaku asked that, Black Godzilla was suddenly in a clown's outfit.

"WHAT THE-?!" the two Ras gasped at the sudden change, while everyone else laughed at the once scary creature.

"If there are any remaining monsters on the field, their current ATK is halved~!"

"You had to do it with clowns!?" Mayze yelled.

"Again, this is my duel style!" Kohaku then made eye contact with Bella. The latter was confused as to what she had in mind, until the former looked at Sasuke then Rune Magician.

"I think I get it," she said. "I activate Sasuke's monster effect! Once per turn, he copies the effect on one other monster on the field! I'll have him copy Circus Freak Rune Magician! **Sharingan!** " The black-haired ninja boy's eyes turned red as he obliged to the order.

"And again, what good would that do?" the Insect Chess duelist asked.

"I seem to have left out one small detail about Rune Magician. While face-up on the field, he's considered as 'Circus Freak Time Space Magician'!" the 'Circus Freak' duelist informed.

"Meaning?" Mimi asked.

"I activate my Continuous Trap, Another Act! Once per turn, by removing one Circus Counter and one 'Circus Freak' monster from my Graveyard from play, I can activate a Magic or Trap card from any Graveyard! I remove one of Rune Magician's Circus Counter and Circus Freak Destiny from my Graveyard to activate Team Performance from my Graveyard!"

"Wait, you don't mean..." Mayze spoke, knowing what the two girls were planning. At least, one of the two were planning.

"I'll use Team Performance on Sasuke! With six Circus Counters and three 'Circus Freak' monsters, that's 1800 ATK boost and three attacks Sasuke can make!" Sasuke felt more powerful as Team Performance had an effect on him.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Sasuke: 1600 + 1800 = 3400 ATK**

"Never thought being a magician would have an advantage," he commented.

"You're still a ninja though," Naruto said.

"That's not all," Bella took over. "I activate my Instant Magic, Big Return! This allows me to use a 'Once per turn' effect twice per turn!"

"Now we're getting somewhere, Bella!" her partner complimented. "I'll use Another Act's effect again and reuse Team Performance!" Sasuke felt more power rise within him.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Sasuke: 3400 + 1500 = 4900 ATK**

"Battle! Sasuke! Attack Black Godzilla and Team Insectzoid! **Fire Release: Great Firework!** " Sasuke did as ordered and, with Kohaku's monsters blocking the clown's attacks from hitting the ninja, went under him and used his fireball technique, sending the dinosaur into the air and making a massive firework out of it, ending the duel.

 **Insectzoid: 0000 LP  
Kohaku and Bella: 2700 LP**

 **WINNER: KOHAKU AND BELLA!**

The audience went wild at the last attack, completely dismissing the fact that Bella is a duelist with psychic powers. Which means that from there on out, she is an equal to them.

"I can't believe we lost!" Mayze shouted.

"A defeat is a defeat I suppose," Mimi stated. "Though I must admit, it was enjoyable. Probably the most I ever had."

"I... guess I can agree with you on that..."

"So, you change your mind now?" Kohaku asked, walking up to them.

"... This doesn't mean I don't see her as a monster. But I suppose she's okay now..." the 'insect' duelist said.

"Good enough for me."

"Kohaku~!" Bella suddenly jumped on her partner.

"Hey! What was that for?!"

"Can't I thank you? That was the first time, I didn't hurt anyone in a duel!"

"What about the duels we had?"

"You were used to dueling with someone like me, weren't you?"

"I suppose I can't argue with that."

The two best friends laughed off each other's comments, waving to the crowd who were still applauding for their duel. For the first time in years, Bella wasn't seen as a monster; she was now seen as a duelist. Unknown to her, in their eyes, she was seen as a fellow Entertainment Duelist.


	13. Merging the Light and Darkness

**Aki: Okay... You're in your happy place... Everything is quiet. A calm wind is breezing, you are at peace. Now just gently breathe in... and out...**

 **Coral: *slowly breathing, mind in her happy place***

 **Aki: Good. Now you just keep breathing and stay in your happy place. I'll be taking over most of your job for you. *leaves authoress to her happy place* Finally I can be in my own peace. So, you all know the disclaimer. Coral doesn't own Yugioh GX. She does own Kohaku and her Circus Freak deck. Bella and Alex belongs to their respective creators. Speaking of, there's a little surprise for the creator of Alex.**

 **Coral: DIE YOU STUPID OLD MAN! *something crashed and broke***

 **Aki: What the-?! *opens door and saw authoress choking a dummy* What happened to being in your happy place?!**

 **Coral: This is my happy place!**

 **Aki: HUUUUUUUUH?!**

 **Coral: Water Dragon's Geyser! *destroyed dummy and the room***

 **Aki: And she and her dad made up too... Why did it come to this?**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 ** _*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*_**

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

It was the weekends. Students were sleeping in, hanging out with friends, or dueling each other. For a certain small group, it was training time for them.

"Come on! Find your balance!" Kohaku shouted.

"K-Kind of... hard..." Bella complained.

After that tag duel, Bella went and asked Kohaku to teach her how to be an Entertainment Duelist. The reason for this was so she can prevent any more serious damage when dueling against normal duelists. The observation was proven true when she made the flashy finish and no one got hurt. Right now, with Kohaku's Circus Show activated, she's trying to help Bella find and keep her balance, along with some of their monsters out. Alex was there as well, watching the 'show'. Even the 'Relic User' monsters were doing the balance with them.

"Why are we doing this too?" Chris complained.

"This is training!" Tsubasa exclaimed.

"Even though it has nothing to do with us..." Hibiki muttered.

"You found your balance last time. What happened?" the female Ra asked.

"That was a one time thing!" the female Obelisk replied. "I didn't think that I would want to be an Entertainment duelist-" Bella lost her balance and fell off her pole. She would've died, if it wasn't for Time Space Magician catching her. " _Thank you..._ "

"Your welcome," the monster replied. He placed her on the ground. Instantly, the ninja duelist kissed and hug the solid surface.

" _Oh sweet land! How I miss you so!_ " she said in English.

"She really doesn't like heights anymore," Naruto stated.

"No kidding," Ino agreed.

"I guess that's all the training for today huh?" Alex asked.

"More like for now," Kohaku corrected, landing safely on the ground.

Bella shot up to her feet. "No! I am not doing that balancing thing again!"

Kohaku puts her hand in the air and a peaceful manner. "Okay. We won't."

"Thank you."

"For now, we'll have lunch and some relaxation. After that, we'll be doing some more Entertainment Training."

"As long as it has nothing to do with heights, I am fine with it."

"You do know that you may have to do something that involves heights though, right?" Alex brought up.

Bella was silent in realization. He wasn't wrong; she saw Kohaku's first duel with Manjoume's former friends and she did some aerial stunts with her monsters.

"If I die doing aerial stunts, I will haunt both of you!" she declared.

"Why me?" her friends both asked in unison.

"You for inspiring me to be an Entertainment Duelist! And you for bringing up that I have to do aerial stunts!"

"Not my fault!" The two Ras faced each other. "Stop copying me! Me?! Yes, you! _Stop that_!" They then bashed their heads together.

"Are you trying to get on my nerve right now?" Kohaku asked.

"How ironic that you have a nerve," Alex stated. "In fact that was my question. I'm a bit tired enough hearing weird voices in my head, especially when I'm around you two. An even bigger question is are you, _Ms. Former-Performer_ , trying to get on my nerve by playing weird voices in my head using ventriloquism?"

"Huh? Like that's possible!"

"What was that?!"

Bella looked away and muttered under her breath, "Every time you two act like this, it's hard to believe you aren't a couple."

"I heard that!" both shouted at her face in unison. Bella tumbled back in surprise. They turned to each other once more. "Quit copying me!"

"Hey!" The group of three all turned to the source of the voice and saw a big group of guys instantly charging towards them. From so far, one wouldn't notice the-

"What the hell are you doing to Kohaku-sama?!" they all demanded, getting in Alex's face. Yeah, the group happened to be Kohaku's fan club, one that was formed after her true gender was revealed. Surprisingly enough, the group consisted of all three ranks and male students of different ages. Unfortunately for Kohaku, they are all guys who saw her as a damsel in distress always.

"Not this again..." Kohaku face-palmed. And yes, this wasn't the first time it happened either.

"What's with you guys?!" Alex asked.

"That's our question to you! Who do you think you are?!" the leader of the fan club, an Obelisk Blue, surprisingly or not-so, demanded. His demand confused the Light and Darkness duelist. "First you hog Kohaku-san to yourself, and now you're violating her?!"

"Vio- What?! Who said I'm hogging her?! We're just friends!" Alex defended.

"Like you can fool us!" they all said in unison. They suddenly got out their duel disks. "Duel us for Kohaku!"

"I'm/She's not a thing that can be won over!" the group of three shouted in unison, obviously denying the duel.

"You're scared aren't you?" the leader taunted. "You're scared you'll lose to us in numbers. Then again, it's obvious! Especially since half of us are Obelisk Blues!"

"Did they forget that I defeated an Obelisk Blue?" Alex asked his female friends.

"Probably thinks I don't count considering I'm either a monster or your friend," Bella guessed.

"Hey! Don't ignore us!" the leader shouted again.

The Light and Darkness duelist sighed at the predicament he somehow got himself into. "Fine. I'll take you all on!"

"You're not taking them on alone!" Kohaku added, as the group of three activated their duel disks.

"DUEL!" they all shouted.

* * *

 _ ***MANY HOURS LATER (AROUND SUNSET)***_

The duel went on for so long. At least, that was what it felt like to Kohaku, Alex and Bella. The reason? Putting it in simpler terms, the fan club was more like a big group of cockroaches. A few went down defeated, more took their place. To make things even worse, they didn't let the three put their cards back in their decks from the graveyard or field. Dueling for so long, they used up all their cards. The good news, though, the leader was the only one remaining.

"I'm... out of cards..." Bella panted.

"Same..." Kohaku followed.

"Me... too..." Alex followed.

While they were dueling, they also brought up a huge crowd. They were all amazed at how the three duelists can take on so many other at once, and without switching out some cards or restarting their Life Points or deck.

"You were all worth every penny, really you were," the leader said. "Looks like I have to take matters into my own hands." He pointed towards Alex. "You and I will have a one-on-one duel! Luckily for you, I'm not like these bastards who just jump in during a duel. We'll do this as a duel between men!"

"I'll duel, but not because Kohaku's a prize," the male Ra accepted, collecting his cards and shuffling it. His Life Points went back to normal as Kohaku and Bella joined the crowd.

"Good luck, Alex!" the 'Circus Freak' duelist had to shout. Had to because it made the leader even more furious.

"You will bow down to Kozu-san!" a defeated duelist shouted.

"No one has ever defeated him before!" another defeated duelist shouted.

"Not until now!" Bella argued. "Alex will beat him!"

"That's right! He's my rival after all!" Kohaku added. Apparently, the fan club, instead of hearing rival, somehow heard lover. Of course, they didn't say it out loud, but it still got to them hard.

"You will pay for meeting Kohaku-san!" Kozu shouted, accusingly pointing at Alex.

"We're friends though!" Alex defended. Once again, the fan club somehow heard something else that involves being in love.

The two duelists activated their duel disks. "DUEL!"

 **Kozu: 4000 LP**  
 **Alex: 4000 LP**

"I'll take the first turn! Draw!" Kozu drew his sixth card. "I summon Flame Ruler in Attack Mode!" A fire vortex suddenly shot up and a tan man emerged from the flames.

 **Flame Ruler: Level 4/FIRE/Pyro/1500 ATK/1600 DEF**

"Next I activate my Continuous Magic, Treasure Cards from the Underworld! You'll know its effect soon enough. I activate my other Magic Card, Card Advance! I can look up to five cards from the top of my deck and rearrange them!" He drew five cards from his deck and placed them back in a random order. "Doing this allows me to Tribute Summon one monster in addition to my Normal Summon this turn!"

"What?!" Alex gasped.

"I never heard of such a card before!" Bella stated.

"With the effect of Card Advance, I release Flame Ruler to Advance Summon Thestalos the Explosive Flame Monarch!" Kozu's monster was surrounded by a fire tornado. Emerging from the tornado was a red armored warrior with gold sparkles and spikes.

 **Thestalos the Explosive Flame Monarch: Level 8/FIRE/Pyro/2800 ATK/1000 DEF**

"Normally, he would need two monsters to summon, but with Flame Ruler's effect allows him to count as two monsters for a FIRE monster. And it is here that Treasure Cards from the Underworld's effect activates! If I Advance Summoned a monster that requires two monsters to summon it, I draw two cards." Kozu drew two more cards, bringing his hand up to four. "Now Thestalos the Explosive Flame Monarch's monster effect! When Advance Summoned, my opponent has to show me their hand and I can discard one card from their hand to the Graveyard!" Alex reluctantly showed him his hand. In his hand were Poison of the Old Man, Shimmering-White Dragon Wyburster, Death Gremlin, Damage Diet and-

"Light and Darkness Dragon!" Kohaku gasped in shock.

"That's not good!" Hibiki exclaimed.

"Too bad for you," Kozu mocked. "I send Light and Darkness Dragon to the Graveyard. And with this, not only do you take 200 damage for each of its level, but because a FIRE monster was used to Advance Summon this card, you take an extra 1000 damage! **Explosive Flames!** " The monster sent a huge wave of fire at Alex, taking away more than half of his Life Points.

 **Kozu: 4000 LP**  
 **Alex: 1400 LP**

Alex got on one knee, grunting at the damage inflicted onto him.

"ALEX!" his friends shouted in worry.

"Don't worry! I'm fine!" he assured.

"Not when my next turn comes you won't," Kozu said.

"That makes things even worse. He already knew what those two cards were because of Card Advance," came Asuka's voice. Kohaku and Bella turned to see her next to them.

"Asuka! When did you get here?" Bella asked.

"Since you three had your Battle Royal Duel. And I'm shocked you held out that long."

"It wasn't that easy..." Kohaku stated, scratching the back of her head.

"Still quite a feat." The blonde Obelisk brought her attention back to the duel. "Back to the duel, if Kozu drew out another Card Advance and has another Thestalos the Explosive Flame Monarch in his hand, it'll be over for Alex."

"Can't argue with that," Bella agreed. "Even without Flame Ruler, Thestalos can be Advance Summoned by releasing one Advance Summoned monster."

Kohaku wouldn't accept such an early defeat from her friend, not when he's her rival. "Do your best, Alex!"

However, that cheer got on Kozu's nerve. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn!"

"My turn! Draw!" Alex drew his new fifth card. "I activate the Instant Magic, Poison of the Old Man! With it, I gain 1200 Life Points!"

 **Kozu: 4000 LP**  
 **Alex: 2600 LP**

"I summon a monster in Defense Mode! I set two cards face-down and end my turn!" Alex ended.

"My turn! Draw!" Kozu drew his next card. "I activate my Continuous Trap, The First Monarchs! This Trap Card can be summoned onto the field as an Effect Monster!" A shadow of some kind appeared on his field next to the FIRE monarch.

 **The First Monarchs: Level 6/DARK/Fiend/1000 ATK/2400 DEF**

"I activate its summon effect! I discard one card from my hand and declare an attribute. This card becomes that attribute and is considered as two monsters for the Advance Summon of a monster with the same attribute as this card!" He discarded a card. "The attribute The First Monarchs will change to is EARTH!"

 **The First Monarchs: DARK -} EARTH**

"And since it's now considered as two monsters for a Level 7 or higher EARTH monsters, I release it to Advance Summon Granmarg the Sturdy Earth Monarch!" The shadow suddenly formed a colossal warrior.

 **Granmarg the Sturdy Earth Monarch: Level 8/EARTH/Rock/2800 ATK/1000 DEF**

"With Treasure Cards from the Underworld's effect, I draw two cards!" Kozu drew two more cards. "I activate Granmarg the Sturdy Earth Monarch's monster effect! When Advance Summoned, I can destroy up to two set cards!" Alex's female friends' eyes widened at that info. "I'll destroy those cards behind your monster! **Landslide Burial!** "

"Before they get destroyed, I'll activate them!" Alex countered. "First, Damage Diet! This halves all damage I'll take this turn! Next, Underground Machine Gun! This inflicts 200 points of damage to my opponent for each card they control and in their hand! You have four cards on your field and three cards in your hand! That's seven cards in total! Therefore you take 1400 damage!" Seven toy machine guns appeared and fired their 'bullets' at Kozu.

 **Kozu: 2600 LP**  
 **Alex: 2600 LP**

"They're practically tied!" Bella excitedly said.

"Think again!" Kozu denied. "After the cards are destroyed, if an EARTH monster was used to Advance Summon Granmarg the Sturdy Earth Monarch, I draw one card!" He drew his next card. "Battle! I attack your face-down with Thestalos the Explosive Flame Monarch! **Flame Charge!** " The red armored warrior got fired up, literally, as it charged at the face-down card. It flipped, revealing a goblin of some kind. As quickly as it made its appearance, the monster got destroyed.

 **Death Gremlin: Level 4/DARK/Reptile/1600 ATK/1800 DEF**

"Death Gremlin's monster effect! When he gets flipped face-up, I can return one card from my Graveyard to my deck! Of course, that card is Light and Darkness Dragon!" Alex declared, as he took the said card from his Graveyard and placed it back in his deck.

"But it won't save you from the next attack! Granmarg the Sturdy Earth Monarch! Attack the player directly! **Stone Fist!** " The EARTH monster charged at the opposing duelist.

"Due to Damage Diet, the damage I take is halved!" the dueling Ra said, as the fist seemed to have shrunk as it got closer to him, landing a punch in his stomach.

 **Kozu: 2600 LP**  
 **Alex: 1200 LP**

"I end my turn," Kozu ended.

"My turn! Draw!" Alex drew his next card. "I activate Shimmering-White Dragon Wyburster's monster effect! By banishing a DARK monster from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon this card!" As he took Death Gremlin out of the Graveyard and into his pocket, a white-armored, blue-scaled dragon appeared on his field.

 **Shimmering-White Dragon Wyburster: Level 4/LIGHT/Dragon/1700 ATK/1800 DEF**

"Next I release Wyburster to summon a monster in Defense Mode!" The monster then left as a face-down card took its place. "And Wyburster's effect activates! When it leaves the field, I can add Somber-Black Dragon Collapsarpent to my hand!" Alex added the said monster card. "I end my turn!"

"I don't know what you're planning, but it's useless. My turn." Kozu drew his next card. "I attack your face-down monster with Thestalos the Explosive Flame Monarch! And during that attack, I activate my trap card, Skill Successor, which will give my monster 400 ATK! **Flame Charge!** "

 **Thestalos the Explosive Flame Monarch: 2800 + 400 = 3200 ATK**

The monster card flipped and revealed to be a blue-skinned monster with white hair and red nails, wearing a white mask, white cape and black pants.

 **Lightray Madoor: Level 6/LIGHT/Spellcaster/1200 ATK/3000 DEF**

Dust cloud formed when the attack hit. Without waiting for the dust to settle, Kozu continued his assault. "Finish this! I attack directly with Granmarg the Sturdy Earth Monarch! **Stone Fist!** " The rock warrior charged once more, preparing another punch at Alex.

"ALEX!" Kohaku and Bella shouted in worry. It seemed they didn't need to worry, for a force field suddenly appeared, blocking the hit.

"What?!" Kozu gasped in shock, as did the fan club, who all thought it was the end for Alex. Just then, the dust finally settled, revealing Alex's monster in front of him. "But how?! I destroyed it!"

"Lightray Madoor can't be destroyed by battle once per turn!" the Light and Darkness duelist explained, much to Kozu's shock.

"So in other words, since Kozu declared and made an attack..." Asuka began.

"He inflicted damage to himself instead, right?!" Bella guessed. Her guess was confirmed as the dueling Obelisk's Life Points went down.

 **Kozu: 2400 LP**  
 **Alex: 1200 LP**

"Cheer all you want! You're still going down next turn! I set one card face-down and end my turn! And at this point, Thestalos the Explosive Flame Monarch's ATK returns to normal!"

 **Thestalos the Explosive Flame Monarch: 3200 - 400 = 2800 ATK**

"I won't go down! I already made a promise! Until I beat Kohaku, I won't lose to another duelist!" Alex recited his promise. "My turn! Draw!" He drew his next card. "I activate Pot of Greed! With this I draw two cards!" He drew two more cards and slightly grimaced at his current hand.

' _This isn't good. Even if I do have Madoor out, there's no telling if Kozu's going to have out another Monarch that will get rid of him. And even if he isn't going to get rid of him yet, he might have another Thestalos in his hand. If he summoned that monster out, he'll discard one of my cards to the grave and I'll take 1000 Life Points. It'll be worse if the card is a monster._ '

' _Don't give up,_ ' came a voice.

Alex looked away from his cards and found himself in a valley. Before he could take in his sudden surroundings, something flew over him. He looked up at the thing behind him and saw a dragon that was unlike any that he had ever seen.

The dragon was somewhat similar to Light and Darkness Dragon. Instead of half white, half black, the dragon was a mix of the two colors. The dragon was on four legs and had two pair of wings on its back. The top two wings were white, angel wings, while the bottom two were black devil wings. The dragon's body was quite long, similar to a Chinese Dragon's. The head was like Light and Darkness Dragon, only it donned two horns on it, one smaller than the other. It also has a core spot on its chest.

Alex was strangely not afraid of the dragon. He looked at the dragon straight in its blue eyes. Suddenly, he began to see images of his monsters and the spell and trap cards being used. After the image was over, Alex snapped himself out of it and found himself back in the duel field.

' _What was that... just now?_ ' he wondered.

"Hey, what's wrong?! Don't tell me you're admitting defeat already!?" Kozu shouted.

"Never!" Alex replied.

' _I don't know what that was just now, but I'm trusting it that image!_ ' he mentally decided.

"I activate Painful Choice! With this, I reveal five cards from my deck, and you get to choose which card I can keep!" Alex chose five cards from his deck. Images of the five cards appeared above him and revealed them to be Lightpulsar Dragon, Dark Armed Dragon, Lightray Diabolos, White Horns Dragon, and Light and Darkness Dragon.

"Why would he include his three best cards in the choice?!" Bella wondered in shock.

"It's official! He lost it!" Kohaku said, not believing that her rival would make such a choice.

Kozu laughed at the choices given to him. "I don't know what you take me for, but it's useless! I send Lightpulsar Dragon to your hand!" As soon as he said that, the other four images disappeared as said card was added to his hand.

"I wonder about that," Alex said with a smirk. "I activate Lightpulsar Dragon and Darkflare Dragon's monster effect from my hand! Both cards can be Special Summoned from my hand by banishing one LIGHT and one DARK monster from my Graveyard! For Lightpulsar, the two monsters are Dark Armed Dragon and Lightray Diabolos! For Darkflare, they are White Horns Dragon and Light and Darkness Dragon!" Appearing on his field in exchange for the four cards were a white and light blue dragon with a core spot in the center of its chest and a red and black dragon with a yellow core spot in the center of its chest.

 **Lightpulsar Dragon: Level 6/LIGHT/Dragon/2500 ATK/1500 DEF**

 **Darkflare Dragon: Level 5/DARK/Dragon/2400 ATK/1200 DEF**

"Even if you summoned out more monsters, it won't do you any good! My monsters are still far more superior than your's!" Kozu reminded.

"I know that! But first, I activate Darkflare Dragon's effect! Once per turn, I can send one Dragon-Type monster from my hand and one Dragon-Type monster from my deck to the Graveyard to banish one card in either player's Graveyard! I send Somber-Black Dragon Collapsarpent from my hand and Eclipse Wyvern from my deck to the grave to banish Shimmering-White Dragon Wyburster from my Graveyard!" He sent the said cards to his grave for a monster, which he placed in his pocket with his other banished cards.

"Again, what good will that do? All you're doing is giving yourself a deck out!"

"It's for this! I banish my Lightpulsar Dragon and Darkflare Dragon to fuse them!" Everyone widened their eyes at that declaration, as the two dragons flew to the skies. "Dragon of light, dragon of darkness! Become one and give birth to a new twilight! Fusion Summon! Appear now, dragon born from the light and darkness! **_Twilight Dragon_**!" Appearing onto his field was the dragon that Alex saw in his little daydream.

 _ **(Twilight Dragon: Level 10/LIGHT/Dragon/? ATK/? DEF/ 1 LIGHT Dragon-type monster + 1 DARK Dragon-type monster/ This card can be Special Summoned from your Extra Deck by banishing the above cards. You do not use Polymerization. This card's ATK and DEF becomes 200 times the total level of all banished LIGHT monsters in either player's Banished Zone. When this card is summoned, banish card(s) on the field equal to or less than the number of banished DARK monsters in either player's Banished Zone. When this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, you may banish this card and Special Summon monsters used to Fusion Summon this card. Increase those monsters' ATK by 100 times their total level.**_ _ **)**_

Everyone was shocked at the new monster before them, especially since they've never seen such card before.

"A level 10 Fusion monster..." Asuka began.

"With unknown ATK and DEF..." Bella continued.

Unlike everyone else, Kohaku was actually furious. "Alex! Are you telling me that's your real ace card?! You were still holding back this whole time?! After this duel is over, we are definitely going to duel!"

"That's what's important to you?!" the Obelisk psychic duelist asked in shock.

"Twilight Dragon's effect! This card's ATK and DEF becomes 200 times the total level of all banished LIGHT monster's in either player's Banished Zone!" Alex continued.

Kozu was shocked at that effect. "What?! Then the reason why you banished those monsters..."

"Was for this ATK boost!" Alex finished, as Twilight Dragon's power skyrocketed. "The LIGHT monsters banished were Level 8- Light and Darkness, Level 7- Lightray Diabolos, Level 6- Lightpulsar Dragon and Level 4- Shimmering-White Dragon Wyburster! That's 25 levels total! So Twilight Dragon's ATK becomes 5000!"

 **Twilight Dragon: ? -} 5000 ATK/? -} 5000 DEF**

"Next!"

"There's more?!" Kozu asked.

"For every DARK monster in either player's Banished Zone when this card was summoned, I can banish cards on the field equal to or less than that amount!"

"WHAT?!" Alex's opponent and the fan club gasped.

"In my banished Zone were Dark Armed Dragon, White Horns Dragon, Darkflare Dragon, and Death Goblin! I will banish all three of your cards on the field! **Twilight Zone!** " The new monster created a rift that sucked Kozu's cards within it, leaving him open.

Kozu just stood in shock at what had happened.

"Battle! Twilight Dragon! Attack the player directly! **Twilight Beam** **!** " On command, the dragon released a mix of white and black beam from its core at Kozu, ending the duel.

 **Kozu: 0000 LP**  
 **Alex: 1200 LP**

 **WINNER: ALEX!**

"He did it!" his female friends cheered. The crowd all spoke to each other about how awesome the duel was, especially Twilight Dragon.

Kohaku's fan club all rushed to their fallen leader. "Kozu-san!"

"You cheater! You must've cheated!" one member accused.

"Yeah! There's no way you have a never before seen card!" another member also accused.

"SILENCE!" Kozu shouted, surprising everyone. "My god... To think I'll lose..."

"Kozu-san?"

"Your name's Alex, right?" he asked the winner of their duel.

"Yeah. And?" Alex asked.

Kozu smirked. "I'll accept my defeat. It seems Kohaku and you really do go well together. You take care of her."

"Why wouldn't I? We're friends after all."

That response shocked the fan club.

"That's all you two are?" the Obelisk dared to ask.

"Yeah."

The big group couldn't help but feel stupid for the little misunderstanding.

"Well, see you around then." With that, the group left.

Alex turned and mumbled something about them being a bit weird, when he suddenly came face-to-face with Kohaku.

" _You! Me! Duel! Now!_ " she demanded.

"Already?!"

"You weren't going serious when we both said that we would last duel!"

"Really?! Still on with that?!"

"Yeah I am! It irritates me that I was going all out while you were holding back during our duels!"

"It's not like I meant to!"

"Sure it wasn't!"

"They sure do act like a couple, don't they?" Asuka said to Bella.

"That's what I kept thinking," she said back.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A COUPLE?!" both shouted at their faces, forcing them both back on their butts. "Quit copying me! Me?! Yes you! Stop that! Cut it out! Why you-! Let's duel! Yeah!"

"I wonder how they could deny that..." the two Obelisk friends of the two Ras wondered.


	14. DD Zombies vs Ninjas and Dragons

**Aki: I wonder where Coral is. It's not like her to not be here. Well, better for her not to be here. After all that happened, I'd like some space. *Notices letter* What's this?**

 **Letter: Convincing my dad to see he was wrong about everything. You're in charge.**

 **Aki: How am I not surprise? And she's suppose to be the younger one.**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 ** _*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*_**

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

It was the day before the holidays. Students were packing up to go home for the holidays. Some didn't bother packing, for they would stay on the island with Daitokuji.

In one usual area, a certain psychic duelist of Obelisk was practicing her new Dueling Style. With her was a certain male Ra, helping her with her moments, along with their Duel Monster spirits.

"I hope you know, as much as I like to say you're really good at doing entertainments on the ground level, you have to do aerial entertainment eventually," Alex said.

"Yeah yeah, I know," Bella said. "Man you sound like Kohaku."

"Hey, you should be glad that she's on a call with her parents and, after that, have to help the teachers with some stuff," Sakura pointed out

"True. Her training methods were killing me. I think I'm going to die way early if this keeps up."

"Don't let Kohaku hear that. You know how she is when she was trying to get Judai and Shou to top shape for the Tag Duel. Or did we not tell you?"

"I heard what happened. And she's suppose to be an Entertainment Duelist, not Enter-Terror Duelist."

A slight wind blew at that pun.

"That wasn't suppose to be a pun, was it?" Alex asked.

"Not that good huh?" Bella asked back.

"Just... Don't do that again," came a deep voice.

Along with Alex, Bella and Bella's ninjas were Alex's Dragon-Type monsters. After that duel when Alex created Twilight Dragon, he also began to see Duel Monster Spirits. This in turn, allowed his monsters, mainly the Dragon-Types, to have spirits of their own.

"Got it," Bella replied.

And so, the two would carry on another hour with the Entertainment Training. When the hour was up, the two took a break, even though one didn't really do anything.

"You know, I still can't believe it," the Obelisk spoke.

"Can't believe what?" the Ra asked.

"You and Kohaku wouldn't accept either of those duels between the two of you as a win or a lose."

"Hey, for the two of us, a win is a win if we take out our ace monsters and/or reduced our Life Points to zero, not by deck out!"

Yes, ever since Alex gained his new card, the duels between him and Kohaku ended up as deck out duels. Neither one can reduce the other's Life to zero or take out the ace of each other's deck.

"And the two of you keep saying you're not a couple~" Bella dared to tease.

"We're not a couple! We're just good friends and great rivals!" Alex corrected.

"You two keep telling yourselves that~"

"We are! Why do you, Asuka, Shou, the Reds, Yellows, some Blues, and even the teachers assume that we're a couple?!"

"The way you're acting around each other makes it hard to believe that you aren't. In fact you both act like-" Before she could say anymore, Bella felt a vice-grip on her shoulder, cutting her off.

"I dare you to finish that sentence," Alex dared with a scary, evil look on his face.

"OW OW OW! I didn't mean that at all! I swear!" To her relief, Alex released her shoulder. "That hurts..."

"Blame yourself for making weird assumptions."

"Yes... I'm sorry..."

' _But it is true,_ ' she mentally added.

"You know, I still can't believe it either," Alex spoke.

"With what?"

"That I could see Duel Monster Spirits."

"Well, it's not much of a surprise," Lightpulsar said.

"You had the ability within you, but you weren't able to awaken it," Dark Armed explained.

"Then how did I awaken the ability?" the Ra asked.

"You have Bella to thank," Light and Darkness said.

The Obelisk's eyes widened. "Me?"

"Yes. You see, if Alex dueled a pure psychic duelist, and gets hit by a monster attack declared by that duelist, it will awaken his powers."

"But I didn't declare a direct attack on him in our duel that time."

"No, but Kurama's beam was close to hitting him. And that was enough to slowly awaken the ability within him."

"Putting it that way, it's true. I've been hearing voices since that duel. So thanks," Alex admitted.

"Oh? Then, you're welcome," Bella replied.

"Well well well. What do we have here?" came a cocky voice. They both looked and saw two of Manjoume's former friends looking down at them. "If it isn't the Reject and the monster. How big a surprise to see the two of the many people we despise in one place," Taiyou said in sarcasm.

"Yeah. And not only that, but they are also the two that everyone in Obelisk despise more than anything," Raizou added.

"Hey, what did we do to deserve that?" Alex asked.

"What else? You have cards that shouldn't be in your hands in the first place. Dark Armed Dragon, Lightray Diabolos, Light and Darkness Dragon, and the new Twilight Dragon."

"As for that monster, do we really need to answer what she did to deserve being hated? She's a killer; she can materialize duel monsters and inflict real damage to her opponents."

"Didn't you see the Tag Duel? Or that Battle Royal? Bella didn't cause a single damage to her opponent those times!"

"Might've been a fluke. Or because that idiot Ra Reject was there."

"Yeah. After all, she was sister of a monster. Maybe she can cancel out a monster's power. And maybe... she can help all us Obelisk by sending that thing to her doom. Like what happened to her sister."

Those words made Alex and Bella snapped. They may not have met or known Kohaku's twin, but being her friends, how can they not be angry when someone insults a late relative.

"You take that back!" Alex shouted.

"Yeah! Her twin wasn't a monster! I saw a video that had her twin in it, and a lot of people loved her when they realized that she wasn't what they thought she was!" Bella supported.

"Are you sure it's not because the idiot Ra Reject wasn't there? Or it was the said idiot herself," Raizou continued to insult.

"Insult her one more time. I dare you," the Light and Darkness duelist threatened.

"Who? The dead monster or fool of a duelist?" Taiyou mocked, causing him and Raizou to laugh.

"That's it! We're dueling!" he declared, already activating his duel disk.

"I'm with you!" Bella activated her duel disk.

"Just what we wanted." The two Obelisks activated their own disks.

"Let's make this an Ante-Rule. Loser has to give up their precious deck," Raizou added.

Alex and Bella gasped in shock.

"You can't do that!" the female shouted. "It's against the rules! Hence the name Ante-Rule!"

"Too bad. The moment you activated your duel disk, you already agreed to the conditions," Taiyou said.

"In that case, you better not cry when we win!" Alex declared. They drew their starting hand.

"DUEL!"

 **Bella and Alex: 8000 LP**  
 **Taiyou and Raizou: 8000 LP**

"I'll start first! Draw!" Taiyou drew his sixth card. "From my hand I activate the Field Magic, Zombie World!" The arena became a purple, swampy wasteland. "Next, I activate the Continuous Magic, Call of the Mummy! Once per turn, if I control no monsters, I can Special Summon a Zombie-Type monster from my hand! I Special Summon Ryu Kokki in Attack Mode!" A skull armored monster emerged from the ground.

 **Ryu Kokki: Level 6/DARK/Zombie/2400 ATK/2000 DEF**

"I activate Skull Conductor's monster effect from my hand! By sending this card to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon up to two Zombie-type monsters from my hand with a total ATK of 2000! I Special Summon Patrician of Darkness!" A vortex of darkness appeared and a blue vampire emerged from it.

 **Patrician of Darkness: Level 5/DARK/Zombie/2000 ATK/1400 DEF**

"I set one monster face-down and end my turn."

"I'm next. Draw!" Bella drew her next card. "I summon Konohagakure Shinobi Team 8, Kiba in Attack Mode!" A boy with red marks on each side of his cheek appeared.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 8, Kiba: Level 4/EARTH/Warrior/1800 ATK/500 DEF**

"Zombie World's effect! All monsters on the field becomes a Zombie-Type!" Taiyou shouted. This surprised Bella and Alex, as Kiba became nothing but bones in ninja clothes.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 8, Kiba: Warrior -} Zombie**

"Kiba!" Bella called in shock and horror.

"I'm... Okay... Don't... worry..." the ninja assured.

"... Okay... I activate Konohagakure Shinobi Team 8, Akamaru's effect from my hand! If Kiba is on the field, I can equip this card to him as an Equip Magic! Come, Akamaru!" A white puppy appeared and stood by the undead ninja's side.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 8, Akamaru: Level 2/EARTH/Beast/500 ATK/700 DEF**

"Akamaru's equip effect! The equipped monster gains 1000 ATK!"

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 8, Kiba: 1800 + 1000 = 2800 ATK**

"That's a huge increase!" Raizou said in shock.

"I set one card face-down and end my turn!"

"My turn! Draw!" Raizou drew his next card. "I summon D.D. Survivor!" A worn man in brown cloak appeared on his field. "And because of Zombie World's effect, D.D. Survivor is now a Zombie-type!"

 **D.D. Survivor: Level 4/DARK/Warrior -} Zombie/1800 ATK/200 DEF**

"Next I activate Gold Sarcophagus! With this card, I can banish one card from my deck face-up, then on my second Stand By Phase, that card is added to my hand! I banish D.D. Scout Plane! I set two cards face-down and end my turn! And during my End Phase, Scout Plane's monster effect activates! If this card is removed from play, it is Special Summoned in Attack Mode!" A portal opened up and a metallic eye appeared.

 **D.D. Scout Plane: Level 2/DARK/Machine -} Zombie/800 ATK/1200 DEF**

"To think you can just easily Special Summon a monster that way... My turn! Draw!" Alex drew his next card. "I summon a monster in Defense Mode! I set two cards face-down and end my turn!"

"Now that we all took our first turn, it's time to deal some pain! My turn! Draw!" Taiyou drew his next card. "Well, this is quite a surprise. I Flip Summon Spirit Reaper!" Taiyou's face-down was repeated to be a purple cloaked Grim Reaper.

 **Spirit Reaper: Level 3/DARK/Zombie/300 ATK/200 DEF**

"And now that I have more than 2 face-up Zombie-Type monsters, I can Special Summon this card from my hand! Come out, Kasha!" A demon card of some kind with flaming wheels, two green arms on top and a green demon's face and chest on the front appeared.

 **Kasha: Level 8/EARTH/Zombie/? ATK/1000 DEF**

"Unknown ATK?" Alex asked.

"Something must be up," Bella said.

"When Special Summoned this way, Kasha returns all other monsters on the field into the deck! **Demon Transportation!** " The cart's side door suddenly opened and forcefully got all the monsters, including its own allies, in it, returning them to their respective owner's deck. "And for each Zombie-Type monster returned this way, Kasha's ATK is equal to that amount times 1000!"

"What?!" Bella and Alex gasped, as the demon cart became more demonic.

 **Kasha: ? -} 1000 x 6 = 6000 ATK**

"Trap Card open! Trap Stun!" Raizou followed. "This turn, all Trap Cards' effects are negated!" The set cards on Alex and Bella's field suddenly all had sparks on them, making them unusable.

"Just great," Alex muttered.

"Just what we needed. And on the second turn too," Bella followed.

"And now battle! Kasha! Attack those who don't belong here! Starting with the monster!" Taiyou ordered. His monster charged towards them at full speed, mainly at Bella.

"I won't let that happen!" her partner shouted. "From my hand I activate _**Freakstar Dragon**_ 's monster effect!" The three other duelists gasped in shock at the counter. "When a direct attack is declared, I can Special Summon this card in Defense Mode to negate the attack!" A black dragon big enough for one person to ride on with white wings suddenly appeared and took Bella out of the way of the attack. The dragon was, strangely enough, in a silly jumpsuit and had a goofy smile on its face, as well as having a yellow star on its right eye. For some reason, it's unaffected by Zombie World's effect.

 **Freakstar Dragon: Level 4/DARK/Dragon/1500 ATK/2000 DEF**

 _ **(Freakstar Dragon: Effect Monster: This card is also considered as a LIGHT attribute monster while on the field, Graveyard or Banished Zone. When your opponent declares a direct attack that would inflict 2000 or more damage to your Life Points, you may Special Summon this card in Defense Mode and negate the attack. This card's Monster-Type cannot be changed. If this card is used as a Fusion Material to Fusion Summon a Dragon-Type Fusion Monster, banish one card from your deck face-up and one card from your Graveyard.)**_

The dragon let out a weird cackled laugh. "Woohoo! What a nice breeze~!" he spoke in a high-pitch creepy voice.

"SOMEONE LET ME DOOOOOWWWWNNNN!" Bella begged. It was then she realized one little thing. "HOW THE HELL CAN YOU TALK?! I'm not the one who summoned you!"

Freakstar let out another weird cackled laugh. "That's Alex!"

They heard yelling, but it wasn't quite clear. Bella looked down and regretted doing so, for they were high enough to see the whole island.

"I'LL DO ANYTHING JUST LET ME DOWN TO THE GROOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUND!" she once again begged, choking the dragon, not that he minded, strangely.

"But it's so much fun~!" he talked back.

* * *

Back down on the island, the three duelists see Bella screaming constantly for her life, all having sweatdrops as they barely see her panicking.

"FREAKSTAR! GET DOWN HERE!" Alex shouted an order. The dragon was still flying around.

"What's going on here?" came a familiar voice. They turned and saw Kohaku walking towards them.

"Hey Kohaku. Well..." The male Ra looked up, having his friend to look up as well, as they saw Freakstar still flying around with Bella clinging onto him.

Kohaku easily caught on to what had happened while she was gone. "Things has to be done," she simply said, summoning out Circus Freak Assistant.

"What are you going to do with him out?"

Kohaku ignored the question and faced Assistant. "You have a loudspeaker on you or something?" Assistant nodded and, retracting his hand in his sleeve, pulled out a loudspeaker and gave it to her. "Thank you." Kohaku looked up with the loudspeaker over her mouth.

* * *

Back in the sky, Bella was screaming at the top of her lungs, as she begged Freakstar to put her down. Freakstar, somehow, disregarded the screaming and went about his merry ways in the air.

"JUST LET ME DOWN ALREADYYYYYYY!"

"Aaahh. What a beautiful wind~"

"STOP IGNORING ME!"

"HEEEEYYYY!" came a voice below, one that Bella recognized. "YOU FLYING IN THE AIR ALL HAPPY-GO-LUCKY! COME DOWN HERE BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT!"

Freakstar, unfortunately for Bella, just flew faster.

"I SAID STOP!" Still ignoring. "STOP YOU STUPID DRAGON!" Ignoring still. "Oh for the-" Seconds later. " **CEASE YOUR FLYING OR FACE THE CONSEQUENCES FOOOOLLL!** " Kohaku shouted, this time with the volume people hundreds of miles away from the island would hear. As such, the volume surprised Freakstar to the point where he started to fall. And since he's falling...

"KOHAKU! IF I DIE I'LL KILL YOUUUUU!"

* * *

Down below, the group see the monster and girl falling.

"Shouldn't we... do something?" Taiyou asked, despite hating Bella.

"They'll be fine," Kohaku assured.

"Sure they will," Raizou replied.

The two continued to fall until they felt something soft and stretchy slowing their fall. Bella peeked from her eye lids and saw that they were in a trampoline. Not just any trampoline; Circus Freak Trampoline.

" _Oh dear go_ -AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" And up back in the sky they went.

"You do know she will most likely kill you for that, right?" Alex asked Kohaku, as the group were suddenly eating snacks, watching the show.

"True, but she has to overcome her fear anyway," the female Ra reasoned.

* * *

 ** _*SOME TIME LATER*_**

Bella was finally free of the crazy free-fall. She was currently on her hands and knees, panting heavily at her horrifying experience.

"So how was your flying lesson?" Kohaku dared to ask with a smile.

"I... am... going... to... kill... you..." she wheezed.

"Oh come on~ You know you really love me~"

Bella, having no energy to say another word, dropped to the ground. She then said something, but it was muffled.

"Care to repeat that?"

"I said I still have a duel to finish anyway..." Bella slowly got up, her legs wobbling. "D-Do you... finish your turn?"

"Huh? Uh... Yeah," Taiyou replied.

"Thank god... My turn. Draw." She drew her next card. "I summon Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Naruto in Attack Mode." The blonde ninja boy appeared. Due to Zombie World's effect, he became all bones.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Naruto: Level 4/WIND/Warrior -} Zombie/1400 ATK/800 DEF**

"WHOA! What just happened to me?!" Naruto gasped. He turned and saw Bella looking like she went through hell. "And what... happened to you?"

The female duelist gritted her teeth. "I'd rather not relive that, thank you very much."

The two Blue boys regained their cockiness.

"That weak monster can't even take a wheel off of Kasha!" Raizou mocked.

"And you placed him in Attack Mode? You're less of an Obelisk than we thought!" Taiyou followed.

"I activate my Instant Magic, Tailed Beast Changer! With this Naruto can release the demon inside him! Come, Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama!" The zombie ninja became a zombie fox with nine tails.

 **Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama: Level 9/FIRE/Beast -} Zombie/3000 ATK/3000 DEF**

"And what good will that do? Your monster still can't harm Kasha!"

"That may be, but let's not forget one of you is open! Kurama attacks Raizou directly! **Nine-Tails Beam!** " Kurama fired his signature attack and, rather than hitting its target, the beam changed directions and went up. Seconds later, it bursts into fireworks.

 **Bella and Alex: 8000 LP**  
 **Taiyou and Raizou: 5000 LP**

"I set one card face-down and end my turn," Bella ended, ignoring the last statement.

"Looks like she got nothing. Can't say the same for us though," Raizou said. Taiyou nodded in agreement. "Now I draw!" The spiky-haired Obelisk drew his next card. "I summon D.D. Assailant!" A white ninja girl with a great sword appeared onto the field, who then turned into a Zombie.

 **D.D. Assailant: Level 4/EARTH/Warrior -} Zombie/1700 ATK/1600 DEF**

"Next I activate the Equip Magic, Rocket Pilder!" A rocket launcher was equipped to Assailant's free arm. "Battle! D.D. Assailant! Attack Kurama!"

"But Kurama's ATK is higher," Alex stated. "Even if Rocket Pilder negates the destruction of a monster, you still take damage."

"Not when I have this! Continuous Trap card activate! Spirit Barrier! While I control a monster, I take no Battle Damage!" The zombie ninja girl fired a rocket at the beast, who blocked it with his nine tails. "Now Rocket Pilder's other effect activates. After the monster it was equipped to battles an opponent's monster, that monster loses ATK equal to the ATK of the equipped monster." Assailant fired another rocket. When that rocket made contact, a net was wrapped around Kurama, trapping him.

 **Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama: 3000 - 1700 = 1300 ATK**

"But the effect only lasts until the end of the turn," Bella pointed out.

"Which is why I'll be using this! My Instant Magic, _**D.D. Striker!**_ By targeting one monster I control, I banish a copy of that monster to let it attack again!" This surprised his opponents as he took out a copy of D.D. Assailant and pocketed it.

 _ **(D.D. Striker: Instant Magic: Target one monster you control; banish 1 card with the same name as that monster from your deck. That monster can attack twice this turn.)**_

"Now D.D. Assailant! Attack Kurama again!" The monster did as ordered and raised her sword to eliminate the Fusion Monster.

"Trap Card open! Magic Cylinder!" Alex intervened. "When my opponent's monster declares an attack, that monster's attack is negated and my opponent takes damage equal to its ATK! Your Spirit Barrier may have protected you from Battle Damage, but it won't protect you from effect damage!" Two cylinders suddenly appeared between the two part-zombies. D.D. Assailant jumped in one of them and exited out the other, accidentally attacking her master.

 **Bella and Alex: 8000 LP**  
 **Taiyou and Raizou: 3300 LP**

"Raizou!" Taiyou shouted in a worried tone.

"I'm fine," he assured. He then turned to Alex. "That was a dirty trick!"

"Hey, I'm only doing what I should be doing as Bella's partner!" he defended.

"Why you... I end my turn!"

"My turn! Draw!" Alex drew his next card. "I activate the Magic Card, Painful Choice! I reveal five cards from my deck and you choose one of those five I can add to my hand!" Alex revealed Lightray Diabolos, Dark Armed Dragon, Light and Darkness Dragon, Darkflare Dragon and Lightpulsar Dragon.

"You're taking out your best cards?!" Raizou questioned.

"What a rookie mistake. You shouldn't be put in Ra Yellow," Taiyou laughed.

"I wonder if it is a rookie mistake," Bella said, catching on to Alex's plan.

"Well, in any case... I choose... Darkflare Dragon," Raizou picked, as the four cards were destroyed while the remaining one was added to Alex's hand.

"Next I activate my own Field Magic, Chaos Zone!" The two Blues gasped in shock as the field became dimensional, changing all face-up monsters' type back to their original form.

 **Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama: Zombie -} Beast**

 **D.D. Assailant: Zombie -} Warrior**

"Now I banish Lightray Diabolos and Dark Armed Dragon from my Graveyard to Special Summon Darkflare Dragon from my hand!" Alex's black and red dragon appeared onto the field.

 **Darkflare Dragon: Level 5/DARK/Dragon/2400 ATK/1200 DEF**

"And because two monsters were banished, Chaos Zone gains two Chaos Counters!" Alex's two dragons appeared and turned into portals. "Now by using Darkflare Dragon's monster effect, I send Shimmering-White Dragon Wyburster from my hand and Somber-Black Dragon Collapsarpent from my deck to the Graveyard to banish Light and Darkness Dragon!" The ace dragon of his main deck appeared and also became a portal. "Now the condition is complete."

"Condition?" Taiyou repeated in a questioned tone.

"Just to let you know, Freakstar Dragon counts as a LIGHT attribute while face-up on the field. I banish Darkflare Dragon and Freakstar Dragon to fuse them!"

"What?!" both his opponents gasped.

"WHAT?! NOW?! Oh come on!" Freakstar complained, as he and Darkflare Dragon fused.

"Dragon of light, dragon of darkness! Become one and give birth to a new twilight! Fusion Summon! Appear now, dragon born from the light and darkness! Twilight Dragon!" Alex's true ace appeared onto the field.

 **Twilight Dragon: Level 10/LIGHT/Dragon/? ATK/? DEF**

"Wait, you can't do that!" Raizou shouted.

"He can actually," Bella corrected. "Twilight's own effect is that he can be Special Summoned from Alex's Extra Deck by banishing monsters used to summon him from his field!"

"And that's not all!" Alex continued. "Freakstar Dragon's monster effect! When he's used as a Fusion Material to Fusion Summon a Dragon-Type Fusion monster, I banish one card from my deck face-up! The monster I'll be banishing is Lightray Madoor!" The Spellcaster-type monster of Alex's deck appeared and became a portal. "His ATK and DEF becomes 200 times the total level of LIGHT monsters that are banished! Right now there are three LIGHT monsters that are banished: Level 8 Light and Darkness Dragon, Level 7 Lightray Diabolos, Level 6 Lightray Madoor, and Level 4 Freakstar Dragon! That's a total level of 25, therefore Twilight's ATK and DEF is 5000!" The dragon roared as his power was rising.

 **Twilight Dragon: ? -} 5000 ATK/? -} 5000 DEF**

"But it's still not enough to harm Kasha!" Taiyou pointed out.

"I know, but Twilight has another effect! For each DARK monster banished when this card was summoned, I banish cards on the field equal to or less than that amount!"

"WHAT?!" Taiyou and Raizou's jaw dropped.

"The monsters banished are Dark Armed Dragon, Darkflare Dragon and Freakstar Dragon! With three monsters, I'm banishing Kasha, D.D. Assailant, and Spirit Barrier! **Twilight Zone!** " Twilight Dragon created a rift that pulled the three cards in it, never to be seen again.

"Our ace card!"

"This can't be!"

"Finish it! Attack them directly! **Twilight Beam!** " At that order, the dragon released a mix of white and black beam from its core at the two Obelisks.

 **Bella and Alex: 8000 LP**  
 **Taiyou and Raizou: 0000 LP**

 **WINNER: BELLA AND ALEX!**

"No way! We lost!?" Raizou gasped.

"We'll remember this! And we will come back again to beat you!" Taiyou shouted. At that, the two left.

"Nice going, guys!" Kohaku said.

"Thanks," Bella said.

"Actually might've lost if it wasn't for this card you gave me," Alex admitted.

"Yeah... I think Pegasus went a bit overboard with the 'freak' part."

"Are you sure it was that or because you want me to die?" Bella questioned the female Ra. "It was worse than the time when you forced me to get on the trampoline by summoning out your two beastly Circus Freaks!"

"I assure you, he may be my creation, but I didn't want him to be like that. That was Pegasus' part."

"You got it! Hehehehehehehe!" came the monster in question's voice.

"Oh not you again!" the female blue shouted.

"But that part was also on Alex's fault! He was the one who materialized me and made me me!"

"What are you talking about? I'm not crazy," Freakstar's owner denied.

"True, but you did materialize him," came Time Space Magician's voice.

"Quiet you!"


	15. Psycho Shocker

**Coral: I'm back~!  
**

 **Aki: Where have you been?**

 **Coral: Doing my Yugioh Arc-V fanfic and my Pokemon and RWBY crossover.**

 **Aki: What happened to doing only one story at a time?**

 **Coral: Hey, can I help it? I got this huge motivation to write them.**

 **Aki: Sure you are.**

 **Coral: I am! Anyway, starting from this chapter, as per request from a guest reviewer, I'll be adding an opening in this fanfic starting from this chapter~! That is unless if I'm making multi-part chapters, such as the Game of Darkness chapters. It's been on my mind for a while anyway, so why not?**

 **Aki: Then why didn't you at the first chapter?**

 **Coral: I didn't think of that until chapters late** **r** **. Besides, I did my best thinking of scenes that would go with the music so it may not be that good. And note, readers, I don't own the opening.** **Speaking of which, Natalie (Guest) you will find out the answers to your questions.**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 ** _*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*_**

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

 _ ***OPENING***_

 ** _(Instrumental)_** _(_ _The scene begins with a nice top view of the island_ _)_

 ** _To the beginning sky... towards the shining light  
_** _(The camera looks up to the sky, having a nice view of it and the sun as the anime logo slowly appeared)  
_ ** _There's nothing to fear... because I'm here..._** _  
(Freakstar Dragon with Naruto on his back and Time Space Magician flew pass the logo the Spellcaster-type shined the crystal ball on his staff, changing the scene)_

 ** _Falling countless times to your knees_** _  
_ ** _Not protecting your own pride  
_** _(Kohaku slipped on a banana peel and was laughed at by many students. She laughed along with them)  
_ ** _Only coming up with just doubts_** _  
_ ** _Do not close your eyes just yet  
_** _(Alex and Bella looked at the scene in slight envy at how she was, in a way, getting along with many others despite her being in Red and daughter of a famous circus' ringmaster and walked their separate ways)_

 ** _I absolutely cannot see  
_** ** _the possibility that's here and now  
_** _(Judai was imagining himself as the next King of Games. Manjoume and his friends along with Chronos glared at how impossible it would be for him while Misawa, Shou and Hayato looked at him with interest or slight admiration)  
_ ** _When these tears turn into rain  
_** ** _I just want you to notice_** _  
(Asuka and Ryou were at the entrance of the Abandon Dorm and stared at a picture of the latter's brother with determination)_

 ** _Spit out all the vexing things  
_** ** _Because there's a meaning for taking things  
_** _(Bella was remembering the time when she was younger, getting bullied and being isolated by others because of her powers. Her patience went to her limit as she accidentally summoned a monster and released it onto them)  
_ ** _Even if you desire everything, you don't need to grasp it all  
_** _(_ _Alex was remembering when he was accepted into Duel Academy and told the principal that he wished to start at the lowest rank, just to be bullied by those of a higher rank_ _)  
_ ** _Just keep a hold of one most important thing_** _  
(Kohaku placed her hands on their shoulders and snapped them out of the memory lane and smiled at them then pushed them to the rest of their friends)_

 ** _In the beginning of the sky, I welcome you  
_** ** _do not ever look back just look forward  
_** _(Judai had out Flame Wingman, who fought against Chronos' Antique Gear Golem and Asuka's Cyber Blader, as Kohaku had out Time Space Magician, who was going head-to-head against Alex's Light and Darkness Dragon and Bella's Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama)  
_ ** _If you feel the wind on your back  
_** ** _then there won't be anything to worry about_** _  
(Shou and his monsters were looking at his brother and his monsters with determination, who smirked in approval, causing the younger sibling to smile back)_

 ** _If you would look around, you'd see all these smiling faces  
_** _(In another realm, it showed all of Kohaku, Bella, Alex, Judai, Shou, Hayato, and Asuka's monsters smiling at the camera)  
_ ** _Do not carry everything by yourself  
_** _(Kohaku was looking at her late sister's deck in her hand with a solemn look, the deck's monster spirits floating right by her side)  
_ ** _Don't rush either, the answer is along the way  
_** _(The scene turned dark and the whole gang were running towards the light)  
_ ** _you'll definitely find it for sure_** _  
(They arrived at a lighthouse, looking up at the night sky)_

* * *

It was night time on the island. If this was school night, many students would be sleeping and teachers would be grading tests or looking over their students progress. However, it wasn't. It was winter vacation, so many students and teachers were off the island and at home with their families.

In the Osiris Dorm, one certain group of friends decided to stay one the island instead, along with the headmaster of the Red Dorm.

"I summon Clayman in Attack Mode!" Judai summoned out his monster. He was dueling against Shou, the latter having a Cycroid and Gyroid. Behind the turn-taker, Daitokuji and Hayato were roasting some marshmallows.

Elsewhere in the dorm, Kohaku, Bella and Alex were having a small party with just the three of them, and their monsters, in Kohaku's old room.

"It's like a huge slumber party!" Hibiki shouted.

"We're partying all night long!" Naruto followed.

"Yeah! _Freaky_!" Freakstar Dragon agreed.

The three rowdiest ones of the big group of Duel Monster spirits were making a bunch of noises, one that only the three duelists in the room can hear.

"Is this how it was with you guys?" Alex asked.

"On vacations and holidays when I'm alone," Bella replied.

"24/7. Compared to how it is with my Circus Family, this is just a minimum about of rowdiness," Kohaku also replied.

"Define minimum," the male duelist said in slight disbelief.

"Bet it's higher than what you're thinking," the only Obelisk in the room said.

"You have no idea," Time Space Magician confirmed, not taking any part of the rowdiness. "The lady's family was much more rowdier than this. About ten times rowdier."

"TEN TIMES?! That's too rowdy!" Alex and Bella shouted in unison.

"I couldn't agree with you more. And this is coming from a 'Circus Freak' monster."

Just then, they heard a crash from below them, causing the monsters to return to their cards.

"What was that?!" Kohaku asked. Without an answer, the three of them ran out the room to the source of the crash.

They arrived at the front of the Osiris' Cafeteria, where a male Obelisk student was lying on what was the front door of the place.

"I-It's after me!" he exclaimed.

"Hey! What happened?!" Alex called.

"Don't know. This guy just came out of nowhere saying that Psycho Shocker is after him," Judai replied.

"A monster card?" Kohaku asked.

"You're Takadera-kun from Obelisk Blue, aren't you-nya?" Daitokuji asked.

"Daitokuji-sensei! A professor that... that researches Duel Spirits like you, Daitokuji-sensei, would understand, wouldn't you?" the male blue asked.

The other students stared at the Osiris Headmaster in slight confusion. "Duel Spirits?"

"Please, calm down-nya, Takadera-kun. Tell us everything from the beginning-nya," he requested.

"Y-Yes. It all happened a while before winter vacation started. We, Takadera Occult Brothers-"

"Takadera Occult Brothers?" Judai interrupted.

"It's a group that I, Mukouda and Isaka, all of us being Obelisk Blues, made to research aspects of occult dueling," he explained. "In particular, we researched what you'd call the origins of dueling: spirits. And on that day, we decided to put what we'd researched to test and contacted a spirit using an Ouija Board. Seconds later, a flame was put out, a book fell from a shelf and a message came."

"What was the message?" Kohaku asked.

"'Offer me three sacrifices. If you do so, I will be reborn,' his message read."

"How awful... You shouldn't research Duel Spirits and its phenomenon-nya..." Daitokuji lightly scolded.

"You guys said 'yes', didn't you?" Alex guessed.

"We thought he meant cards!"

"A spirit can't be reborn by using cards as sacrifices," Bella pointed out.

"I realize that," Takadera said. "And that's not all... The next day, one of our members, Mukouda, vanished without a trace. The day after that... Isaka... They both have been sacrificed!" Shou fell on his butt in fear at that assumption.

"You sure they didn't go home for the vacation?" Judai asked.

"I called their houses, but was told they hadn't returned... I was so afraid, I tried getting off the island myself but... he was already waiting for me!"

"This is really troublesome," Time Space Magician said.

"And _Super Freaky_!" Freakstar Dragon cackled.

The moment he said that, the lights went off. This caused the now-frightened Hayato and the already-frightened Shou to jump on Judai.

"Shou, Hayato! Get off of me or I'll get crushed!" the 'E-Hero' duelist exclaimed.

"Please calm down-nya," the only-adult in the room pleaded.

"He's here," Kakashi muttered.

Once everyone's eyes adjusted to the darkness, they saw a suspicious man in black with thick bandages covering most of his face by the door. Under his arm was Takadera.

"Y-You're...!" Judai began.

"Psycho Shocker!" Shou identified. Before they knew it, the Duel Spirit took off.

"Hey! Wait!" Kohaku shouted, as she, Judai and Bella began their pursuit.

"Wait, Kohaku! Bella!" Alex shouted, as he and the rest of the Reds, the Headmaster and cat included, chased after them.

As they ran into the woods, the first three young duelists somehow lost sight of the Duel Spirit.

"Great... Where did they go?!" Bella asked.

"Kohaku! Guys!" Hibiki appeared before them. "They went that way!" They went in the direction Hibiki pointed.

Eventually, the group of three arrived at what appears to be a factory. Their friends managed to catch up to them.

"Aniki!" Shou called. "Where are we?"

"Be careful-nya," Daitokuji advised. "This is the power supply for this island's electricity-nya."

"Hey! Look over there!" Alex pointed at the other side of the power supply, revealing an unconscious Takadera lying there.

"Takadera-san!" The psychic duelists group made an attempt to run to him, just to be blinded by the electricity the antennas of the power supply suddenly gave off. Seconds later, Psycho Shocker's spirit appeared before them.

"Psycho Shocker! Let Takadera and the others go!" Judai demanded. He was met with silence.

"If you want three sacrifices, take us instead!" Bella offered. Their friends became worried at those words.

"I see..." Psycho Shocker spoke at last. "I wonder if the power and waves emitted from you three are average... It's unfortunate though, I can only take one of you as my third sacrifice. Not that I mind extras."

"But there's a condition! You have to duel one of us! You win, you can have one or all of our souls! But if one of us wins, you let Takadera and his friends go and forget about being reborn!"

"Now that sounds interesting. In that case, girl, I'll use you as my sacrifice!" Electricity from the power supply appeared and forced Judai and Kohaku to their friends.

"Judai! Kohaku!" Bella shouted in worry.

"Do not worry. I didn't take their souls yet. There is no escape from any of you, my sacrifice!"

"My name is Bella! Bella of the Obelisk Blue!"

"No matter. Let's-"

"DUEL!" they both shouted.

 **Psycho Shocker: 4000 LP**  
 **Bella: 4000 LP**

"Be careful, Bella-san!" Shou warned.

"Got it!" The duelist and Duel Spirit drew their starting hand.

"I'll take the first turn. Draw!" A card was added to Psycho Shocker's hand. "I summon Killer Doll of Malice in Attack Mode." A wooden puppet in tights holding an axe appeared on his field.

 **Killer Doll of Malice: Level 4/DARK/Fiend/1600 ATK/1700 DEF**

"Next I activate the Continuous Magic, Ectoplasma! During the End Phase of their turns, both players can sacrifice a monster on their field and deal half its ATK as damage to their opponent." As if on cue, his monster became lifeless as its soul came out and lowered Bella's Life Points.

 **Psycho Shocker: 4000 LP**  
 **Bella: 3200 LP**

"Bella's taking the hit first!" Hayato exclaimed.

"I end my turn," the Duel Monster ended.

"My turn! Draw!" Bella drew her sixth card. "I summon Konohagakure Shinobi Team 10, Ino in attack mode!" One of her teenage female ninjas appeared on her field.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 10, Ino: Level 4/WATER/Warrior/1000 ATK/800 DEF**

"Well, here's something you don't see everyday," she commented.

"A Duel Monster spirit?" Psycho Shocker gasped in shock.

"That's right. And she's not the only one in my deck either," the Obelisk said. "Battle! Ino attacks the player directly!" The ninja took out a small katana and slashed the machine-type.

 **Psycho Shocker: 3000 LP**  
 **Bella: 3200 LP**

"I set two cards face-down and use your Ectoplasma's effect! Ino, is that okay?"

"This is no different from my specialty." Ino's spirit left her body as she decreased the opponent's Life Points even further.

 **Psycho Shocker: 2500 LP**  
 **Bella: 3200 LP**

"All right! She took out 1500 Life Points!" Shou cheered.

"Nice going!" Judai also cheered.

" _Make your move_ ," Bella said in English.

"My turn. Draw!" Psycho Shocker drew his next card. "I activate Killer Doll of Malice's effect! During my Standby Phase, if this card was sent from my field to the Graveyard by the effect of a Continuous Magic, this card is Special Summoned back onto my field!" The wooden axe-wielding doll returned to the field. "Next I summon Emissary of the Underworld in Attack Position!" A reaper of some kind appeared onto the field.

 **Emissary of the Underworld: Level 4/DARK/Fiend/1600 ATK/600 DEF**

"I attack directly with Emissary of the Underworld!" The recently summoned monster went in for an attack.

"Trap Card open! Ninja's Emergency Reinforcements! This card can only activate when my opponent's monster's declares an attack! My opponent chooses one card in my hand! If that card is a 'Shinobi' monster, I can Special Summon it!"

"So she has a chance to stay in the game!" Kohaku stated.

"It depends on the card Psycho Shocker chooses though," Alex said.

"... That card." The monster spirit chose a card, surrounding it in electricity.

"Great! I summon Konohagakure Shinobi Team Guy, Rock Lee in attack mode!" A ninja in green with think eyebrows and big eyes appeared on her field.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team Guy, Rock Lee: Level 4/EARTH/Warrior/2100 ATK/1600 DEF**

"I am combat ready!" he exclaimed.

"Another Duel Spirit?!" Psycho Shocker gasped in shock. Because he was distracted by this, he couldn't stop his monster's attack, as Rock Lee made quick work of it.

 **Psycho Shocker: 2000 LP  
Bella: 3200 LP**

"Through Emissary of the Underworld's effect, when destroyed by battle, each player adds one Level 3 or lower Normal monster from their deck to their hand. I add Thousand-Eyes Heresy God."

Bella gritted her teeth. "I have no Normal Monsters in my deck."

"In that case, I set one card face-down, and activate Ectoplasma!" The remaining monster on his field used its soul to deal some damage on Bella.

 **Psycho Shocker: 2000 LP  
Bella: 2400 LP**

"Now it's Bella's turn!" Shou said.

"If she can make a direct attack, it's over for Jinzo!" Judai pointed out.

"If it was that easy," Alex said, bringing attention to him.

"He's right. There's no way Jinzo is going to make it that easy for her," Kohaku agreed.

"My turn. Draw!" Bella drew her next card. "Rock Lee! Attack the player directly! **Strong Fist!** "

"Right!" The ninja boy charged at Psycho Shocker with his fist ready for a punch.

"From my hand, I activate Battle Fader's monster effect! When my opponent declares a direct attack, I can Special Summon this card to negate the attack and end the Battle Phase!" he countered. A scarecrow-like monster with a bell on one side appeared on his field. Its sudden appearance surprised Rock Lee as he was forced back.

 **Battle Fader: Level 1/DARK/Fiend/0 ATK/0 DEF**

"Didn't see that coming," he stated.

"You can say that again," Bella agreed. "I summon Konohagakure Shinobi Team Guy, Tenten in Attack Mode!" A female ninja in pink vest and blue pants with twin buns hairstyle appeared on the field.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team Guy, Tenten: Level 4/EARTH/Warrior/1500 ATK/1000 DEF**

"Tenten!" Rock Lee called in relief.

"Don't let your guard down, Lee!" she advised.

Bella activated her face-down card. "Next, I equip Tenten with the Trap Card, Intrigue Shield! Once per turn, while she's in face-up Attack Position, she cannot be destroyed by battle! Also, I take no Battle Damage from battles involving her!" A shield appeared and Tenten equipped it onto her left arm. "I end my turn by using your Ectoplasma's effect! Rock Lee! Go for it!"

The male ninja nodded and sacrificed himself to deal more damage to the opponent.

"I wonder about that. Trap Card, Nature's Reflection activate!" he intervened. "During this turn, when my opponent would inflict effect damage, it damages their Life Points instead!" The female duelist and remaining monster gasped as a wall sudden appeared before him, protecting him from the damage and sending it right back at Bella.

 **Psycho Shocker: 2000 LP**  
 **Bella: 1350 LP**

"Bella!" her friends called in a worried tone.

"I'm fine!" she assured.

"But your body!" The moment she heard Kohaku said that, she looked down and saw her legs becoming holograms.

"What the-?!"

"Your Life Points are now less than 2000. It won't be long until my rebirth! My turn! Draw!" Psycho Shocker drew his next card. He cackled at the sight of the card he drew. "I hope you're ready! It's time to show you what I'm truly made of! During my Standby Phase, I Special Summon Killer Doll of Malice back onto my field from the Graveyard!" The doll once again made its appearance. "Next, I release Battle Fader to Advance Summon Psycho Shocker!" As the low-Level monster disappeared, so did Psycho Shocker himself. This brought confusion to the group.

"Where'd he go?" Judai dared to ask.

Suddenly, electricity were shot out of the power supply's antennae and hit the spot where Battle Fader once was at. After the short light show, the DARK Machine-type monster appeared before them, flesh and all.

 **Psycho Shocker: Level 6/DARK/Machine/2400 ATK/1500 DEF**

"So wait, were we too late?" Shou asked.

"No. He only summoned himself as a monster. Remember this is a duel," Judai said.

"That's right. Bella hasn't been sacrificed yet, so the resurrection is still incomplete," Daitokuji pointed out.

"Either way, this isn't good..." Alex said.

"He's right. As long as he's on the field, not only does he prevent Trap Cards from activating, but Trap Cards face-up on the field have their effects negated!" Kohaku explained.

"Then you mean Intrigue Shield is useless!?" Hayato asked.

"That's not good!" Shou exclaimed.

"And it's going to be much worse! Especially once I win, Bella, you won't see the light of tomorrow anymore! Battle! I use myself to attack Tenten!" the spirit of the monster himself declared.

"I activate Tenten's monster effect! Once per turn, during the Battle Phase, I can equip an Equip Magic Card to her!" Bella took a card from her hand and placed it in her Magic/Trap Card Zone. "I equip Kohaku no Johei to her! And the effect of Kohaku no Johei activates! During the Battle Phase when the monster equipped to this card Battles an opponent's monster, I can release one monster they control besides the one that's battling the equipped monster and give half that monster's ATK to the equipped monster! I release your Killer Doll of Malice and give Tenten half its ATK!" As a large pot appeared in her hand, Tenten uncovered to top and sucked the doll in it, gaining its power.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team Guy, Tenten: 1500 + 800 = 2300 ATK**

"However it's not enough to save your monster!" Psycho Shocker pointed out, releasing his attack onto the female ninja.

"Tenten's other effect! If she was to be destroyed in any way, I can destroy one of the cards equipped to her instead! So I will send the Trap Card, Intrigue Shield to the Graveyard to negate her destruction!" Tenten held up her shield to protect herself. As soon as the attack ended, the shield was destroyed. Not only that, but the effect of the duel is now reaching up to Bella's hips.

 **Psycho Shocker: 2000 LP  
Bella: 1250 LP**

"During my second Main Phase, I activate Monster Reborn!"

"It's useless to bring back your Killer Doll of Malice! As long as Kohaku no Johei is on the field, no monsters used to activate its effect can be Special Summoned back on the field!" Bella noted.

"Who said I'm going for my monster?" Psycho Shocker said. "I use this effect to bring back your Rock Lee onto my field!" One of Bella's own monster appeared onto his field.

"Lee!" Tenten cried out. "Lee! Get a hold of yourself!" Only silence met her words.

"Next, I activate the Equip Magic, Amplifier! This card can only be equipped to me!" A helmet of some kind appeared and latched itself onto the Machine-type. "Now I can activate my Trap cards, regardless of my own effect! I set one card face-down and end my turn with Ectoplasma's effect! Sending your monster to the Graveyard to deal damage to you equal to half its ATK!" Lee's soul left his body as it went to strike his original duelist.

 **Psycho Shocker: 2000 LP  
Bella: 200 LP**

As soon as her Life Points reached to 200, most of her body became a hologram.

"Bella!" her friends cried out.

"You might as well give up while you still can, girl. I will be reborn and there's nothing you can do to stop me!"

"That's what you think!" the Obelisk duelist retorted. "I'm not giving up! _Not one bit_! It's my turn! DRAW!" She drew her next card. "I activate Pot of Greed! With this I draw two cards!" She drew two more cards and smiled at the sight of them. "Now then, it's time for a new ninja to make an appearance!"

"Try then. I doubt you have anything against me!" Psycho Shocker dared.

"But I do! I summon Sunagakure Shinobi Three Sand Siblings, Gaara in Attack Mode!" A red-haired ninja with a big gourd on his back appeared on the field.

 **Sunagakure Shinobi Three Sand Siblings, Gaara: Level 4/EARTH/Warrior/1000 ATK/1900 DEF**

"So this is our opponent?" he said.

"Unexpected, right?" Tenten asked.

"Do all monsters you possess have Duel Spirits?!" the opposing monster dared to ask.

"That's right! And unlike you they don't need any sacrifices to be here!" Bella replied. "Now from my hand, I activate the instant Magic, Tailed Beast Changer!"

"Huh? But doesn't that only work when Naruto is on the field or in your Graveyard?!" Shou asked.

" _That's wrong_! Tailed Beast Changer doesn't only work for Naruto! For you see, like Naruto, Gaara also has a demon within him! Tailed Beast Changer can work on any 'Shinobi' monster that has a 'Tailed Beast' monster within them! I banish Gaara from my field to awaken the beast within him! Come, One-Tailed Beast, Shukaku!" A big sandy-brown tanuki with dark blue markings all over it appeared onto the field.

 **One-Tailed Beast, Shukaku: Level 7/EARTH/Beast/2400 ATK/3000 DEF**

"And what good will that do?! I activate my Trap Card, Attack Invulnerability! By targeting one monster on the field, that monster cannot be destroyed by battle or card effect during the Battle Phase! Of course, I'll use this on myself!"

"During the Battle Phase, _you say_. It's too bad it can't help you before the battle!" Bella said. "I activate Shukaku's monster effect! By discarding one card from my hand, I can destroy one monster my opponent controls! **Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullets!** "

"WHAT?!" the monster gasped. Shukaku took a deep breath then pounded its stomach, shooting a highly compressed air ball from its mouth at the opponent. The ball went through him, cutting him in half and destroying him.

"She did it!" Hayato cheered.

"All that's left is a direct attack!"

"Go now, Tenten! Attack directly! **Unsealing Technique: Shuriken!** " The female ninja took out a scroll and unrolled it. After some hand movements, she slammed her hand on it, summoning ninja stars. She took them in her hand and threw them all at the now holographic monster, finishing the duel.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

 **Psycho Shocker: 0000 LP  
Bella: 200 LP**

 **WINNER: BELLA!**

"She did it!" her friends cheered. The second they did, the electricity from the power supply went haywire; it was hitting everything in the area.

"This is bad-nya! We have to get out of here-nya!" Daitokuji said.

One of the bolt of electricity hit the spot where Psycho Shocker was, creating a blinding light that slowly engulfed the whole area.

* * *

Morning came. Everyone woke up and found themselves at the power supply.

"Huh? It's morning already?" Hayato asked.

"Looks like it," Alex replied.

"Hey! Over there!" Kohaku said, pointing at the other side of the area. There they saw Takadera and two other Obelisks, most likely Mukouda and Isaka, lying unconscious.

"It would seem they're all right-nya," Daitokuji stated.

"So that wasn't a dream, was it?" Shou asked Judai.

"No. But it was still a fun duel!" the 'Elemental Hero' duelist exclaimed.

Unknown to them, Bella looked at a face-down card not far from them. She picked it up and saw it was Psycho Shocker's card.

' _You're a huge pain in the neck,_ ' she thought. ' _But, even DARK attribute monsters deserves a second chance._ ' With that thought, she placed the card in her pocket.


	16. Tennis and Idols

**Coral: Everyone, if you've read my profile about my situation, it is true. My parents have banned from this site for god-knows how long. HOWEVER! They fail to see the loopholes to my problem! The first, the library! The second, my phone! The third, and most expected, my new tablet that my sister got me that Christmas! Yes, my parents began the ban on Christmas. Morning. I was close to declaring that the worst day of the year, if not for my friends on this site! My friends who I now see my saviors! You readers who supported me who I also see as my lovable saviors and angels~! My Beta who I also see as my new sister~~~!**

 **Aki: Won't they know about this?**

 **Coral: No one knows about this site but me in my family~!**

 **Aki: Okay then.**

 **Coral: Anyway, disclaimer is the same. I don't own Yugioh of any series. The OCs belong to their creators. I own Kohaku. Oh, and the opening, if I didn't mention this in the previous chapter(s) is Hajimaru no Sora, a Fairy Tail opening.**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 ** _*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*_**

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

 _ ***OPENING***_

 ** _(Instrumental)_** _(_ _The scene begins with a nice top view of the island_ _)_

 ** _To the beginning sky... towards the shining light  
_** _(The camera looks up to the sky, having a nice view of it and the sun as the anime logo slowly appeared)  
_ ** _There's nothing to fear... because I'm here..._** _  
(Freakstar Dragon with Naruto on his back and Time Space Magician flew pass the logo the Spellcaster-type shined the crystal ball on his staff, changing the scene)_

 ** _Falling countless times to your knees_** _  
_ ** _Not protecting your own pride  
_** _(Kohaku slipped on a banana peel and was laughed at by many students. She laughed along with them)  
_ ** _Only coming up with just doubts_** _  
_ ** _Do not close your eyes just yet  
_** _(Alex and Bella looked at the scene in slight envy at how she was, in a way, getting along with many others despite her being in Red and daughter of a famous circus' ringmaster and walked their separate ways)_

 ** _I absolutely cannot see  
_** ** _the possibility that's here and now  
_** _(Judai was imagining himself as the next King of Games. Manjoume and his friends along with Chronos glared at how impossible it would be for him while Misawa, Shou and Hayato looked at him with interest or slight admiration)  
_ ** _When these tears turn into rain  
_** ** _I just want you to notice_** _  
(Asuka and Ryou were at the entrance of the Abandon Dorm and stared at a picture of the latter's brother with determination)_

 ** _Spit out all the vexing things  
_** ** _Because there's a meaning for taking things  
_** _(Bella was remembering the time when she was younger, getting bullied and being isolated by others because of her powers. Her patience went to her limit as she accidentally summoned a monster and released it onto them)  
_ ** _Even if you desire everything, you don't need to grasp it all  
_** _(_ _Alex was remembering when he was accepted into Duel Academy and told the principal that he wished to start at the lowest rank, just to be bullied by those of a higher rank_ _)  
_ ** _Just keep a hold of one most important thing_** _  
(Kohaku placed her hands on their shoulders and snapped them out of the memory lane and smiled at them then pushed them to the rest of their friends)_

 ** _In the beginning of the sky, I welcome you  
_** ** _do not ever look back just look forward  
_** _(Judai had out Flame Wingman, who fought against Chronos' Antique Gear Golem and Asuka's Cyber Blader, as Kohaku had out Time Space Magician, who was going head-to-head against Alex's Light and Darkness Dragon and Bella's Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama)  
_ ** _If you feel the wind on your back  
_** ** _then there won't be anything to worry about_** _  
(Shou and his monsters were looking at his brother and his monsters with determination, who smirked in approval, causing the younger sibling to smile back)_

 ** _If you would look around, you'd see all these smiling faces  
_** _(In another realm, it showed all of Kohaku, Bella, Alex, Judai, Shou, Hayato, and Asuka's monsters smiling at the camera)  
_ ** _Do not carry everything by yourself  
_** _(Kohaku was looking at her late sister's deck in her hand with a solemn look, the deck's monster spirits floating right by her side)  
_ ** _Don't rush either, the answer is along the way  
_** _(The scene turned dark and the whole gang were running towards the light)  
_ ** _you'll definitely find it for sure_** _  
(They arrived at a lighthouse, looking up at the night sky)_

* * *

It was the afternoon at Duel Academia. Kohaku and the gang were in the gymnasium playing tennis in different groups. In one court, Kohaku, who was paired with Alex against Bella and an Osiris named Tiffany Adagio, who is a transfer and an old friend of Kohaku, was dominating the game.

Tiffany Adagio is a Japanese-American teenager like the rest of the group. She knew Kohaku back when they were kids, so that would make her a childhood friend. She had black hair that ends past her shoulders and brown eyes. Not only that, she was also an idol. When she heard that Kohaku's family circus was on hold, she decided to put her career on hold as well, just so she could be with her best friend. It took her a while to find out where the former performer was the whole time.

"You know, I still can't believe that an idol would want to be in a school that teaches you how to be a great duelist," Alex said.

"And not only that, but you transfered here, which immediately puts you to Osiris. Doesn't that bother you?" Bella asked.

"Not really. Besides, Kohaku started as an Osiris herself and she managed," Tiffany replied, serving the ball.

"True as that is, I can't believe that you'd put your career on hold just because my family did to our circus," Kohaku said, hitting the ball back.

"Now that I think about it, how did you two meet?" the Obelisk asked, as she missed the ball, giving Kohaku and Alex another point.

"Few years back, I signed myself up to an audition. I was extremely nervous, until I saw the Animer Circus practice a stunt. Kohaku was the only one who noticed and helped me get over my nervousness." The former idol served again.

"By any chance, did she make you go through hell to do that?"

"Let me guess, she did that to you."

"Her and two others, for different reasons," the male Ra said.

"At least it helped, didn't it?" the female Ra said, earning another point for her and Alex.

"Can you just let us have a point?" Bella asked, getting tired of the practically one-sided game.

" _Don't want to_ ~"

"Asuka!" came a shout. They turned to the source to see a tennis ball heading to Asuka. Someone intervened the shot and redirected it to a certain professor.

"Yuki Judai! See me in my office immediately- _no ne_!" Of all people, it had to hit Chronos.

"That wasn't even Judai who hit it," Alex muttered.

"He was the one who started it, though," Bella pointed out.

* * *

Later that day, the four duelists were about to make their way out of school when they saw Shou running in the hall.

"What's wrong, Shou?" Alex called.

"It's bad news!" the Osiris shouted.

"What is?"

"Just come on!" At that, the short duelist continued on to where he was going to.

"Should we follow him?" Tiffany asked.

"I've a feeling that we should," Kohaku replied. With that, the four ran after him.

* * *

They found themselves on a tennis court, watching Judai playing tennis with Mitsuru Ayanokouji, the boy who saved Asuka.

"I'm guessing that this is his punishment?" Tiffany spoke.

"Looks like it," Kohaku agreed.

"How long has he been at this?" Bella asked Shou.

"Since Chronos-sensei told him to do this as punishment."

"That would explain he wasn't in class after that incident," Alex muttered.

Judai fell on his back after sending back a ball.

"Stand! Stand up, Yuuki Judai-kun! You mustn't let this break you! If you don't push yourself then when?" Mitsuru encouraged. "Today won't come tomorrow!"

"Obviously... Why is this guy so overbearing?" Judai wondered.

The guy seemed to ignore his mutterin. "And tomorrow is a day you can shine bright! For the sake of tomorrow, fifty more balls!"

"Fifty more?!"

"Well? Feel like giving it another try? Go along with me! The sweats and tears will sustain you! Celebrate our beautiful youth!" Judai could only gape in slight shock at Mitsuru's enthusiasm.

"That president said so many melodramatic lines with a peppy smile," Should stated.

"They were kind of deep," Alex admitted

"I don't understand what most of them mean," Junko said.

"Who cares? He's cute~" Momoe said in a dreamy-like tone.

"He sure is encouraging," Hibiki said to Kohaku.

"If only that encouragement could help Judai hitting fifty more tennis balls without him collapsing," Chris stated.

After Judai hit all fifty balls, Asuka walked in.

"Asuka-sama!" Momoe called. The moment her name was called, Mitsuru got all his attention on her and his character changed completely.

"Hi, Asuka-kun! It's nice to see you again! Did you come to see me...?" His hopes went down the drain as Asuka walked past him and over to Judai. Seeing this, the Obelisk boy was burning in jealousy.

"Why do I feel like a misunderstanding is going to happen?" Alex spoke.

"Asuka-kun! Stay away from him!" Mitsuru called. "I don't like to say things like this, but Asuka-kun, you're like the Obelisk Blue Fairy. An Osiris Red, like Judai-kun, is unworthy of you!"

"Did he say Obelisk Blue Fairy?" Bella asked. She, her spirits, Shou and Tiffany all imagined a fairy version of the blue Egyptian God card. So to say...

"Creepy..." the '-roid' duelist said with a disgusted look.

"There goes my image of fairies," the former idol muttered. She took out a card, seemingly a Fairy-Type monster card. " _That's better._ "

"Asuka-kun, you should be with a man like me. Now this is for your own good. Step away from Judai-kun at once," Mitsuru said with a burning passion.

"Wait a minute. You must have the wrong idea about something," Judai spoke. "The two of us aren't actually-"

"Making excuses is unsightly, Judai-kun!"

"Well, you know-"

"You referred to you and Asuka-san as the two of us... I didnt know your relationship had reavhed that level. Duel me, Judai-kun!"

"Listen to what i have to say!"

Instead of listening, Mitsuru continued to talk nonsense. "If you a true duelist, we should settle this honorably with a duel."

"What are we settling?"

"Putting it in simpler terms, the winner becomes Asuka-kun's fiance!" he declared.

"W-Wait a minute! Where did that come from?!" Asuka demanded.

"Fiance~?" Momoe repeated in a dreamy tone.

"Where did that come from?" Junko asked.

"I'm guessing he doesn't have any female friends and doesn't interact with them much," Kohaku said.

"I don't know what's going on, but a man never turns back on a duel! Alright! I'll take you on!" Judai agreed.

"And all of a sudden things became serious, through a misunderstanding," Alex said.

"Then let's go, Judai-kun!" Mitsuru took out his duel disk and equipped it.

"Yeah!" Judai looked in his bag he brought with him and said that it and his duel disk weren't there. "Huh?! They're not here!"

"What's wrong?! Already admitting defeat!?"

"No, it's not that! My deck isn't here!" He then remembered that last night he and Shou were dueling non-stop and when he woke up that morning, he was in such a rush, he forgot to bring his deck. "Can I go back to my room to get my deck?"

"By leaving this area, you are admitting your defeat!" Mitsuru said.

"Oh come on!"

"However, I'll allow someone of your rank to take your place in this duel."

"In that case..." Judai looked over to Shou, who instantly got the message.

"Huh?! Why me?!" the young boy demanded.

"Come on, Shou! You have to duel in my place!"

"But I don't have my deck either!"

"Why?!"

Tiffany stepped up. "I'll duel." Everyone looked at her. "What?"

"Tiffany-san! To duel with an idol like you would be an honor!" Mitsuru fanboyed.

"I won't hold back. I'm expecting you to do the same."

"Right!"

Both duelists took their spots on the tennis field and put on their duel disks. "DUEL!"

 **Mitsuru: 4000 LP**  
 **Tiffany: 4000 LP**

"You have two men dueling over you, Asuka-sama... It's too wonderful!" Momoe told her friend the obvious.

"Even though one of them has someone else dueling in his place," Junko added.

"It's stupid. I'm fed up with all of it," the blonde simply said.

"Is what you say, but you're really curious, aren't you?"

"Mitsuru Ayanokoji, although is a tennis club president, is said to have dueling skills on the same level as the Kaiser," Alex said to his friends. He turned to Kohaku. "What deck does Tiffany use anyway?"

"You'll see," she simply replied.

"I'll start first! Draw!" Mitsuru drew his sixth card. "He who strike first wins! I activate the Magic Card, Service Ace!"

"What does that do?" Tiffany asked.

"I choose a card in my hand and you have to guess if that card is a Monster, Magic or Trap card. It's a gambling card." Mitsuru took out a card from his hand. "Get it wrong, and you'll take 1500 points of damage."

"Hmm... A guessing game? I'm no good at that kind of thing," she admitted in a cute tone.

"Is she really acting cute in a duel?" Shou asked, although found it admiring.

"Well, if that's how she duels," Alex said, also finding it slightly admiring.

"I'm guessing... Trap Card!"

"You guess wrong! It was a monster card, Mega Thunderball!" A spiky ball appeared and shot itself at the former idol, who moved away from her spot to avoid the hit.

 **Mitsuru: 4000 LP  
Tiffany: 2500 LP**

"Hey! That was dangerous!" Tiffany complained.

"She knows how to duel, right?" Bella asked Kohaku with an anime sweat drop.

"Last I remember, she does," the performer replied, also with an anime sweat drop.

"15-love. Sorry, Tiffany-san. Mega Thunderball is then banished because of Service Ace. I set one card face-down and end my turn!" Mitsuru ended.

"My turn! Draw!" Tiffany drew her next card. " _Hi, everyone~!_ I, Tiffany Adagio, am going to duel for you~!" She winked at the bystanders. Most of the males currently present instantly went lovey-dovey and cheered for her.

"And there it is! Idol Mode!" Kohaku cheered.

"Even though this is a duel," Alex added.

"From my hand, I summon Melodious Diva Aria!" A pink-skinned monster with a female human figure appeared. She had short purple hair and harp as wings and wore a brown revealing shirt, lavender skirt and brown boots.

 **Melodious Diva Aria: Level 4/LIGHT/Fairy/1600 ATK/1200 DEF**

"Whoa! She's so pretty~!" Junko, Momoe and the tennis girls complimented.

"As expected of an idol! To have such a gorgeous monster..." Mitsuru complimented.

"Thank you~. But compliments aren't going to help you. Battle! Aria! Attack the player directly! **Sharpness Voice!** " The newly summoned monster sang a note, sending a sonic blast at the opponent.

"I activate my Trap Card, Receive Ace!" he countered. "By sending the top three cards of my deck to the Graveyard, I can negate an attack and deal 1500 damage to my opponent!" A tennis player appeared and sent the blast back at Tiffany.

 **Mitsuru: 4000 LP  
Tiffany: 1000 LP**

"Tiffany's Life Points!" Bella exclaimed.

"She should've stayed as an idol, huh?" Asuka said.

"No. That just gave her the advantage actually," Kohaku corrected, confusing the rest of the bystanders.

"What do you mean?" Judai asked.

"You'll see."

"Sorry, Tiffany-san, but I can't afford to lose this duel. I hope you understand," Mitsuru said.

"I understand. Just as much as I understand how foolish you must be," Tiffany said.

"What do you mean?"

"By negating Aria's attack, you also activated her effect! Once per turn, when this card fails to deal damage to my opponent, my opponent takes 800 points of damage! **Resonate Wave**!" The male Obelisk gasped as Aria played her harp, sending musical notes to his way.

 **Mitsuru: 3200 LP  
Tiffany: 1000 LP**

"She dealt some damage to him!" Shou said excitedly.

"That's a start," Alex said.

"I equip Aria with the Equip Magic, Saint Instrument!" An instrument of some sort appeared on Aria's back. "I end my turn," Tiffany ended.

"Is she going to be okay?" Junko asked Kohaku. "Her Life Points went down to 1000."

"You can never predict what happens in a show. It always gives the best performance in the end," the former performer replied with a riddle. Her friends gave her looks of confusion. "Just watch."

"My turn! Draw!" The Obelisk drew his next card. "You said don't hold back so I won't! I activate the Magic card, Smash Ace! I reveal the top card of my deck! If the card I reveal is a monster card, you take 1000 damage!"

"Then reveal that card!" Tiffany dared.

Mitsuru revealed his top card as requested. "Monster card, Holy Shine Ball!"

"Then that means-!" Shou began.

"Tiffany lost!" Alex shouted.

A ball of light appeared and went for a hit on Tiffany. Aria suddenly got in the way of the hit and played her instrument, blocking the hit.

"What the-?!" the tennis player gasped.

"Saint Instrument's effect! During either player's turn, when an Effect Damage is being dealt, I can make the damage zero and give the equipped monster ATK equal to the amount!" the 'Melodious' duelist explained.

 **Melodious Diva Aria: 1600 + 1000 = 2600 ATK**

"She saw through that!" Bella said.

"To use an effect that blocks effect damage as well as giving a monster ATK equal to that amount. Tiffany is better than I thought," Asuka admitted.

"Told you so," Kohaku said with a grin.

"I end my turn! Tiffany-san, you're unexpectedly good!" Mitsuru complimented.

"Well I had a great teacher~! _My best friend~!_ Fiore Kohaku-chan~!" she said.

"It was nothing~!" the 'Circus Freak' duelist responded with just as much enthusiasm.

"Now then, it's my turn! Draw!" Tiffany drew her next card. "I attack directly with Aria!" The Fairy-type monster sang another note, dealing massive damage to Mitsuru.

 **Mitsuru: 600 LP  
Tiffany: 1000 LP**

"I end my turn with two cards face-down! All right! Just one more turn! The next turn is definitely an Encore~!"

"We'll see about that! My turn! Draw!" The tennis player drew his next card. "All right! Time to use the new cards I have! I summon Sugar Rush King!" A short man in fancy clothes appeared on the field.

 **Sugar Rush King: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/1000 ATK/1000 DEF**

"Hey! That's my monster!" Bella suddenly shouted. Everyone looked at her in slight shock.

"What do you mean, Bella?" Alex asked.

"How dare you?!" Mitsuru shouted, before Bella could answer. "Declaring a duelist's card as one of your own! I shouldn't have expected anything less from someone like you!"

"That's my line! I was wondering where he was this whole time, but to think you took my card, the card that my cousin gave me!" They all looked at her in slight shock.

"Bella! If you're there, then who's using me?!" asked the king, which was more than enough for a handful of the bystanders to know that Bella wasn't lying.

"That's not fair! How could you just take cards that aren't your's?!" Kohaku shouted. "You're a disgrace of a duelist!"

"Shut up! These cards are better suited for duelist who actually knows how to use them, not for monsters or rich people who bought their way to this rank!" Mitsuru defended.

"If anyone's a monster, it's the person who badmouths people and steals what isn't their's!"

"How would you know if this isn't my card? There isn't any proof!"

"There is!" Bella said. "Have you heard of the Duel Monster Card Creator Contest? The winner of that contest can have their drawing become an actual card and that it can be the only copy! Sugar Rush King was the winning card! By my cousin, Duncan Rosaline!"

"Duncan Rosaline?!" Momoe gasped in a shock tone.

"You heard of him, Momoe?" Asuka asked.

"One of the winners of the contest she was talking about and an incredibly handsome guy~! Oh! And I remember that he actually drew a couple of cards that has to do with sugar and racing."

"Which means... He did steal it!" Junko shouted.

"S-Shut up! It's not like that guy has any right to this card anyway!" Mitsuru defended.

"But it doesn't mean you have the right to steal it," Tiffany said. "She said that card was her cousin's. Then having it on her meant that he gave her that card, and yet you just took something so precious away... You disgust me! And not only that, you think you're worthy of being Asuka-san's fiancee?!"

"Shut up! An Osiris has no right to talk to an Obelisk that way! Even if the Osiris is an idol! I activate Sugar Rush King's effect!" Mitsuru continued his turn. "By discarding one Magic card, I can put a Sticky Counter on a monster my opponent controls! Monsters with a Sticky Counter cannot attack or change their battle position! I discard Service Ace and force a counter on Aria!"

"Do forgive me for this," the king said, taking out a bazooka and fired what seemed like chewed gum at the Fairy-type. The ammo made its mark, as Aria was stuck in her spot, covered in gum.

"Next, since we have 1000 Life Points or less, I activate the Continuous Magic, Deuce! Both players can attack with only one monster during each Battle Phase! And whoever inflicts Battle Damage to the opponent twice without the opponent doing so in between wins the Duel! If a player is to take damage from their opponent, the number of times that player inflicted damage becomes zero! Also, while this card is face-up on the field, neither player can lose the duel even it the Life Points reach zero!"

"So they're just playing by the rules in tennis?" Alex summarized.

"Sounds like it," Kohaku agreed.

"Sugar Rush King can also attack directly. Doing so, however, the damage is halved. Get her!" Mitsuru added.

"Forgive me, again!" the royal monster said as he took out a different gun and shot out all sorts of candy at Tiffany.

 **Mitsuru: 600 LP/1 hit  
Tiffany: 500 LP/0 hit**

"Now I equip Sugar Rush King with Giant Racket! Once per turn, the monster equipped with this card cannot be destroyed by battle! Also, I take no damage from that battle once per turn! I end my turn!" Mitsuru ended, as a huge racket was placed in the monster's hands.

"My turn! Draw!" Tiffany smiled at the sight of the card she drew. "Now then! It's time for an encore~!"

"Encore?" Shou repeated.

"Then she has a way to win?" Momoe asked.

"Really?" Junko also asked.

"Go for it, Tiffany!" Kohaku cheered.

"From my hand, I summon Melodious Songstress Soprano!" A Fairy-type monster in a dress with shoulder and waist guards appeared on her field.

 **Melodious Songstress Soprano: Level 4/LIGHT/Fairy/1400 ATK/1400 DEF**

"You must be blind! With Giant Racket, Sugar Rush King cannot be destroyed by battle! Also, you can only attack with one monster due to Deuce's effect!" Mitsuru pointed out.

"I know that. Which is why I'm using Soprano's effect! I can Fusion Summon a Fusion Monster using monsters in my hand and on my field as Fusion Materials!"

Mitsuru's eyes slightly widened in shock. "What?!"

"Tiffany can Fusion Summon?!" Judai questioned.

"And without a Fusion card?!" Bella followed.

"The monsters I'm fusing are Aria and Soprano!" The two singing fairies sang a note as they were pulled into a vortex. "Echoing diva, angel's songstress, resonate as one and give birth to a new voice! FUSION SUMMON! Appear, Floral Melodious Saint Bloom Prima!" A young blue-skinned fairy in a yellow dress with two flowers on her shoulders appeared on the field.

 **Melodious Floral Saint Bloom Prima: Level 7/LIGHT/Fairy/1900 ATK/2000 DEF**

"How pretty~!" Junko complimented.

"Bloom Prima's effect! She gains 300 ATK for each Fusion Material used to summon her! Two monsters were used, so that's 600 ATK boost!"

 **Melodious Floral Saint Bloom Prima: 1900 + 600 = 2500 ATK**

"I thought you were different, but in the end all Osiris Reds are stupid," Mitsuru muttered.

"The stupid ones must be the male blues then," Tiffany said back. "Bloom Prima can attack twice per Battle Phase!" Her opponent gasped at that info.

"So then-"

"She broke through his defense!" Bella finished for Shou.

"Go, Bloom Prima! Attack Sugar Rush King! **Repeated Soundwave!** The small fairy's flowers both shot out a musical note at the monster. The first was swatted away, but the second destroyed him.

 **Mitsuru: 000 LP/0 hit  
Tiffany: 500 LP/1 hit**

"Just one more hit!" the short Osiris said.

"What one more hit?! I activate Sugar Rush King's effect! When this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, I can banish it and Special Summon Turbo from my hand or deck!" the tennis duelist exclaimed, as a racer version of the monster appeared with his race-car.

 **Turbo: Level 7/DARK/Warrior/2400 ATK/2400 DEF**

"Oh no!" Bella shouted.

"What's wrong, Bella?" Alex asked.

"Like Sugar Rush King, Turbo can also attack directly, though the Battle Damage will be halved. Also, by discarding one card from the owner's hand, he can make another attack, only inflicting a quarter of the damage!"

"That's right! However, that won't matter because with Deuce's effect, if I can inflict damage to you twice consecutively, I win!"

"I wonder about that," Tiffany said with a smile. "An encore always ends a show! Trap card open! One Two Jump!" She activated one of her face-downs.

"One Two Jump?"

"During the Battle Phase, if a monster I control destroys two of my opponent's monsters, by halving the ATK of one of my opponent's remaining monsters, the attacking monster can attack again!"

"No way!"

"Then that means... Tiffany wins?!" Shou asked.

"That's right~! The monster whose ATK is doing down is, of course, Turbo!" The said monster's car suddenly exploded on him.

 **Turbo: 2400 / 2 = 1200 ATK**

"Sing another note for us, Bloom Prima!" In response to that request, the Fusion Monster let out another melody, destroying the monster before her and ending the duel.

 **Mitsuru: 000 LP/0 hit**

 **Tiffany: 500 LP/2 hits**

 **WINNER: TIFFANY**

"Yes! I won!" She cheered, as the holograms disappeared.

"Tiffany-chan!" Most of the boys cheered. Tiffany responded to their cheers with a wink and an air kiss, causing them to faint.

"Idol power," Bella said in amazement.

They heard sniffling sound and saw Mitsuru crying at his defeat. "I... I lost...?! And I even used these stupid cards I took while that guy was showering!"

Time seemed to have gone still at his confession.

"What did you say?" Bella asked, clenching her fist as she made her way over to Mitsuru.

As soon as he looked up, it was practically too late for him, for the female Blue was giving the poor guy a horrible beating, all while telling him that she's a girl.

"Glad I'm not in his place," Alex said.

"And to think he was a pervart," Shou added in disapproval.

"But wait, doesn't this make Asuka-san..."

"Ah! Judai-san's fiance!" Momoe finished for Junko.

Both turned to the said girl. "No way!"

The Osiris in question turned to the Obelisk in question. "So Asuka..." Everyone was watching intensely at what he would say. "What's a fiance?" They all anime-fell at such a ridiculous question.

"He doesn't know what a fiance is..." Sasuke said to the other duel monster spirits.

"I suppose we expected a little too much of the boy," Time Space Magician said. The others nodded in agreement.

"I basically dueled for no reason... But it was still a fun duel," Tiffany said

"Tiffany-san! Your monsters were gorgeous out there!" Junko complimented.

"They were! It was like watching a live show!" Momoe stated.

Tiffany blushed and had a goofy smile on her face. "I-it's nothing of that sort~"

"Not used to doing shows?" The male Ra asked the female.

"Ironic, isn't it?" she said as a reply.


	17. Stopping the One Who's Passing Demotions

**Coral: Not one of my best works, but do bear with me please with this chapter.**

 **Aki: you don't look so good.**

 **Coral: Just a little bit sick.**

 **Aki: what?! Then you shouldn't be doing this.**

 **Coral I have to! Especially with this message!**

 **Aki: What message?**

 **Coral: one that involves Fanfiction's fate! There's another law that is going to be published that will rid fan fiction! The due date is not know, but that doesn't mean it might not be published soon! Not only that, before we needed 40,000 votes, which was somehow met, then I go back on that site and saw it said it needed 50,000 VOTES!**

 **Aki: 50?!**

 **Coral: Yes! People! For the sake of this website, go to the moveon petition website to stop the trans pacific partnership! Just need less than 5,000 more votes! And this site will be free from worries!**

 **Aki: If they don't change the signature condition that is.**

 **Coral: DON'T JINX IT!**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 ** _*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*_**

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

 _ ***OPENING***_

 ** _(Instrumental)_** _(_ _The scene begins with a nice top view of the island_ _)_

 ** _To the beginning sky... towards the shining light  
_** _(The camera looks up to the sky, having a nice view of it and the sun as the anime logo slowly appeared)  
_ ** _There's nothing to fear... because I'm here..._** _  
(Freakstar Dragon with Naruto on his back and Time Space Magician flew pass the logo the Spellcaster-type shined the crystal ball on his staff, changing the scene)_

 ** _Falling countless times to your knees_** _  
_ ** _Not protecting your own pride  
_** _(Kohaku slipped on a banana peel and was laughed at by many students. She laughed along with them)  
_ ** _Only coming up with just doubts_** _  
_ ** _Do not close your eyes just yet  
_** _(Alex and Bella looked at the scene in slight envy at how she was, in a way, getting along with many others despite her being in Red and daughter of a famous circus' ringmaster and walked their separate ways)_

 ** _I absolutely cannot see  
_** ** _the possibility that's here and now  
_** _(Judai was imagining himself as the next King of Games. Manjoume and his friends along with Chronos glared at how impossible it would be for him while Misawa, Shou and Hayato looked at him with interest or slight admiration)  
_ ** _When these tears turn into rain  
_** ** _I just want you to notice_** _  
(Asuka and Ryou were at the entrance of the Abandon Dorm and stared at a picture of the latter's brother with determination)_

 ** _Spit out all the vexing things  
_** ** _Because there's a meaning for taking things  
_** _(Bella was remembering the time when she was younger, getting bullied and being isolated by others because of her powers. Her patience went to her limit as she accidentally summoned a monster and released it onto them)  
_ ** _Even if you desire everything, you don't need to grasp it all  
_** _(_ _Alex was remembering when he was accepted into Duel Academy and told the principal that he wished to start at the lowest rank, just to be bullied by those of a higher rank_ _)  
_ ** _Just keep a hold of one most important thing_** _  
(Kohaku placed her hands on their shoulders and snapped them out of the memory lane and smiled at them then pushed them to the rest of their friends)_

 ** _In the beginning of the sky, I welcome you  
_** ** _do not ever look back just look forward  
_** _(Judai had out Flame Wingman, who fought against Chronos' Antique Gear Golem and Asuka's Cyber Blader, as Kohaku had out Time Space Magician, who was going head-to-head against Alex's Light and Darkness Dragon and Bella's Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama)  
_ ** _If you feel the wind on your back  
_** ** _then there won't be anything to worry about_** _  
(Shou and his monsters were looking at his brother and his monsters with determination, who smirked in approval, causing the younger sibling to smile back)_

 ** _If you would look around, you'd see all these smiling faces  
_** _(In another realm, it showed all of Kohaku, Bella, Alex, Judai, Shou, Hayato, and Asuka's monsters smiling at the camera)  
_ ** _Do not carry everything by yourself  
_** _(Kohaku was looking at her late sister's deck in her hand with a solemn look, the deck's monster spirits floating right by her side)  
_ ** _Don't rush either, the answer is along the way  
_** _(The scene turned dark and the whole gang were running towards the light)  
_ ** _you'll definitely find it for sure_** _  
(They arrived at a lighthouse, looking up at the night sky)_

* * *

It was a fine afternoon on the island. The sky was clear, the ocean was calm, it was a day without school... Nothing can ruin this day.

"Hey look. It's those rich Osiris." Until now. "Hey girls. What cha doing in red? Oh that's right; because you both deserve that rank." As usual, some bullies from the blues decided to pick on a couple Osiris. The two said reds were the most unexpected ones.

"Leave us alone already!" Junko demanded.

"Or what? You'll tell on us? You Reds can't do anything on your own," Taiyou said.

"That's not true!" Momoe denied.

"Hey! What's going on here?!" shouted a voice familiar to the two girls.

The group turned and saw a quite young Japanese-American Ra Yellow student with a purple jacket draped over his shoulders like a cape walking up to them.

"Scram pipsqueak! This has nothing to do with you!" Raizou shouted.

"Yeah. Rather run all the way home. This school is way too advanced for you," Taiyou mocked.

"Why don't we find out if I do belong here?" the boy challenged, equipping his duel disk. "Or are you Obelisks scared of losing to a middle schooler?" Of course, those words were ones that should never have been said for any reason. The boy knew, but there weren't and other ways for him to have them accept his challenge.

With that the three of them got their disks turned on and got their starting hand.

"Go Seth!" Momoe cheered, identifying the Ra.

"DUEL!"

 **Raizou: 4000 LP  
** **Taiyou: 4000 LP  
** **Seth: 4000 LP**

"Elites first!" Taiyou declared, drawing his sixth card. "I activate the Magic Card, Dark World Dealings! Each player can draw one card then discard one card from their hand." They all did as the effect instructed. "And from my Graveyard, Beiige, Vanguard of the Dark World's effect activates! When this card is discarded to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon it!" A purple, skinless monster with a bony armor appeared from the ground.

 **Beiige, Vanguard of the Dark World: Level 4/DARK/Fiend/1600 ATK/1300 DEF**

"I set two cards face-down and end my turn!" he ended.

"Then it's my turn. Draw," Seth calmly drew his sixth card. "From my hand I summon Darkus Centipoid!" A black centipede-like monster appeared on the field.

 **Darkus Centipoid: Level 4/DARK/Insect/2000 ATK/100 DEF**

"What the hell is that monster?!" Raizou shouted.

Rather than answering, Seth continued his turn. "Centipoid's effect activates! When successfully Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a DARK Monster from my Graveyard. I'll summon the monster you made me discard due to Dark World Dealings' effect. Come, Darkus Fear Ripper!" Appearing from a portal was a black and purple armored monster with huge, sharp claws.

 **Darkus Fear Ripper: Level 4/DARK/Fiend/1900 ATK/1300 DEF**

"Doing so, however, I take 200 points of damage for each of that summoned monster's Level and Centipoid goes to Defense Mode." Fear Ripper let out a small wave of dark energy at its duelist. The wave just missed him by a few centimeters.

 **Raizou: 4000 LP  
** **Taiyou: 4000 LP  
** **Seth: 3200 LP**

"And what's the point of that?" Taiyou asked.

"Like it matters. He can't attack this turn," Raizou pointed out.

"I set three cards face down and end my turn."

"Then it's my turn! Draw!" Raizou drew his next card. "I summon Fire king Beast Yaksha!" A beastly warrior appeared with what seemed like a staff.

 **Fire King Beast Yaksha: Level 4/FIRE/Beast-Warrior/1800 ATK/200 DEF**

"Next I equip Yaksha with the Equip Magic, Salamandra! This gives Yaksha 700 more ATK!" The monster's staff changed into a sword with a fire serpent swirling around the blade.

 **Fire King Beast Yaksha: 1800 + 700 = 2500 ATK**

"Battle!"

"Trap Card open!" Seth interrupted. "Blackout! This turn, my opponent cannot declare an attack or activate card effects. Also, if I have two or less cards in my hand, for each DARK monster on the field, I draw one card. There are three monsters on the field, so I draw three cards." Seth's hand increased to five.

"Che. Saved yourself. In that case, I'll set two cards face-down and end my turn," Raizou ended.

"My turn. Draw." Seth drew his next card. "I activate Fear Ripper's effect! Once per turn, I can change its attribute. _GO FIRE_!" Fear Ripper's black and purple colors went red and orange. "Next, I activate the Magic card, Fusion!"

"What did he say/He can Fusion Summon?!" Taiyou and Raizou gasped at the same time.

"The monsters I will fuse are Centipoid and Fear Ripper! Black unbreakable skeleton, red mysterious devil, combine your powers and give birth to a new warrior! FUSION SUMMON! Appear by my side, black centaur with fire power! Darkus Centorrior!" A purple centaur in black armor with a spear in his hand appeared on the field.

 **Darkus Centorrior: Level 6/DARK/Beast-Warrior/2600 ATK/2000 DEF**

"Battle! Centorrior will attack Yaksha!" Seth declared.

"I activate my Trap Card, Holy Barrier - Mirror Force!" Raizou defended.

"Reverse Card open! Dimension 4! All Trap card effects are negated this turn!" A light barrier appeared and attempted to block the attack when Centorrior easily broke through it. "Also, Centorrior's effect activates! When this card attacks an opponent's monster, all ATK and DEF boost that monster has is lost and given to Centorrior! **Vortex Energy Drain!** " The two blues gasped in shock as they saw Yaksha's sword losing its power and Centorrior's spear getting covered in flames.

 **Fire King Beast Yaksha: 2500 - 700 = 1800 ATK**

 **Darkus Centorrior: 2600 + 700 = 3300 ATK**

The centaur monster jabbed his spear into Yaksha's gut and destroyed him.

 **Raizou: 2500 LP  
Taiyou: 4000 LP  
Seth: 3200 LP**

"Yaksha's effect! When this card is destroyed, I can destroy one card on the field or in my hand! Frm my hand, I destroy Fire King High Beast Garudonix!"

"Isn't that same as discarding?" Momoe asked.

"It looks the same," Junko said.

"You'll see the difference soon," Raizou smirked.

"I end my turn with one card face-down. At this moment, Centorrior's ATK returns to normal," Seth ended, as the flames in his monster's spear died down.

 **Darkus Centorrior: 3300 - 700 = 2600 ATK**

"My turn! Draw!" Taiyou drew his next card.

"And at this point, I activate Fire King High beast, Garudonix's effect! During the Standby Phase if this card was destroyed by a card effect, I can Special Summon him back on my field!" Flames suddenly appeared and slowly formed a huge bird.

"Reverse card open! Grand Down!" the 'Darkus' duelist once again interrupted. "Card effects cannot be activated this turn." The gravity suddenly increased as the bird of flames was slammed onto the ground and disintegrated.

Taiyou gritted his teeth. "I release Beiige to Advance Summon Lucent, Netherlord of Dark World." The skinless monster suddenly changed into a black shadow and changed shape. The shadow broke apart and revealed a silver armored monster with a mask similar to a skull's.

 **Lucent, Netherlord of Dark World: Level 6/DARK/Fiend/2400 ATK/0 DEF**

"I set one card face-down and end my turn."

"Draw." Seth drew another card. "I activate the Magic Card, Darkflare! I target one DARK and one FIRE monster on the field and increase their ATK by 1000 until the end of this turn. I target my Centorrior and your Lucent."

"But neither of them are FIRE monster," Momoe pointed out.

"While face-up on the field, Centorrior is also a FIRE monster," Seth informed. True to his words, both monster's ATK went up.

 **Lucent, Netherlord of Dark World: 2400 + 1000 = 3400 ATK**

 **Darkus Centorrior: 2600 + 1000 = 3600 ATK**

"You only raised my monster's ATK though. It won't help you at all," Taiyou said.

"Have you already forgotten? Centorrior can steal the ATK boost of monster he battles," the Ra reminded. Taiyou flinched at the reminder. "And also, I activate the Continuous Magic, Solemn Night! With this card, DARK monsters I control gains 300 ATK!"

 **Darkus Centorrior: 3600 + 300 = 3900 ATK**

"Battle! I attack Lucent with Centorrior! **Vortex Energy Drain!** " The Fusion Monster raised his weapon as Lucent's added power was transferred over to him.

 **Lucent, Netherlord of Dark World: 3400 - 1000 = 2400 ATK**

 **Darkus Centorrior: 3900 + 1000 = 4900 ATK**

"Trap Card open! Negate Attack!" the blue-haired Obelisk tried to block.

"Instant Magic, Ghost Strike! This allows me to activate a Magic or Trap card from my Graveyard by banishing it. The one I'm using is Dimension 4!"

Taiyou gasped as his one wall of defense was destroyed by Seth's card. Having nothing to defend his monster, Centorrior struck Lucent and dealt massive damage.

"Also, Solemn Night's secondary effect. If it's the only face-up card on my field, the Battle Damage inflicted by DARK monsters are doubled, only if they destroyed a monster by battle."

"What?!" Taiyou and Raizou gasped.

It was here Raizou remembered something. "Wait, now I remember... The one Ra who sends fear into Obelisks... The one who's said to easily crush them... The one who is rumored to be on the same level as the Kaiser... Y-You can't be..."

Centorrior walked closer to Taiyou, causing the boy to fall on his butt in great fear. He raised his spear and slammed it down, just missing the boy by inches as he took away his Life Points. The poor boy fainted from the shock.

 **Raizou: 2500 LP  
Taiyou: 0000 LP  
Seth: 3200 LP**

"Sorry for the wait," Seth spoke. "All that's left... is you!" Raizou took some steps back, scared of what the Ra would do. "When a 'Darkus' monster I control dealt Battle Damage to my opponent, I activate Darkus Hammersaur's effect from my hand. I am able to Special Summon him onto the field!" Out on the field next to the centaur is a purple reptilian monster with large armored hands.

 **Darkus Hammersaur: Level 5/DARK/Reptile/2300 + 300 = 2600 ATK/1500 DEF**

"Hammersaur's special summon effect. I can target one face-down Magic or Trap Card on the field and destroy it. **Dark Bow!** " True to Seth's words, Hammersaur slammed his armored fists down on Raizou's lone face-down, destroying it. "Now Hammersaur... Attack the player directly! **Crush Hurricane!** " The recently summoned monster leapt up to Raizou's side.

Before the attack hit, Raizou managed to mutter out, "The Blue Reaper..."

 **Raizou: 0000 LP  
Taiyou: 0000 LP  
Seth: 3200 LP**

 **WINNER: SETH!**

"That'll teach you a lesson or two," Seth said. He looked at Junko and Momoe. "You both okay?"

"Yeah! Thanks to you," Momoe answered.

Seth smiled softly. "That's good to know. I still can't believe these guys would even pick on girls."

"It was our own fault... You wouldn't have to do this if we didn't get ourselves in that duel..." Junko said.

How did the happen in the first place? Well...

* * *

 _ ***FLASHBACK***_

The two girls were on their own, talking about one certain Obelisk.

"I still can't believe Mitsuru did that," Momoe said.

"Just proves that not all cute and handsome guys are good. Especially in our dorm," Junko said.

"It's one thing to talk about Bella, but to steal her card? I can't believe him!"

"At least he has his punishment for doing something stupid. I can't help but still wonder how it happened though."

Speaking of the tennis duelist, after his duel with Tiffany and getting beaten by Bella, he was also changed... into a girl. Yeah. Apparently, one of Bella's mosnters had the ability to change a person's gender. After said monster gave him a painful jab in the... nuts... Mitsuru changed into a female.

"He unexpectedly looks cute though," Momoe pointed out.

"I don't know if we can keep calling him a he," Junko said.

Out of nowhere, a fellow Obelisk stood in their way. "Hey, you two." The two girls stopped in their tracks and looked at him. "You don't belong here. Go away." Those words offended them in many ways.

"Hang on, who are you to say that?" Junko demanded.

"I'm Carbana Shinji. As son of one of the Duel Academia board, I have the right to put duelists in their proper places. Like the two of you, who are in Obelisk Blue simply because you're both girls. Unlike boys, girls are instantly put in Obelisk Blue until further notice."

"Are you saying you don't think we belong in Obelisk?!"

"I don't think. I know. Unless you want to prove me wrong." With that challenge, the three began their duel.

* * *

 _ ***MINUTES LATER***_

 **Shinji: 4000 LP**  
 **Junko: 0000 LP**  
 **Momoe: 0000 LP**

 **WINNER: SHINJI!**

It didn't take long for the duel to end...

Junko and Momoe were on their knees at the sight of their own loss.

"Not even a single Life Point," Shinji sighed. "As I thought, you don't belong here. But I'll be nice. Congratulations you two; you got yourselves one-way tickets down to Osiris Red." They both raised their heads at those words.

"You can't do that!" the red-head female objected.

"But I can and I just did. enjoy your last day as an Obelisk." With that, Shinji walked away.

* * *

 ** _*PRESENT TIME*_**

And that was how they got themselves in the situation.

"We're lucky you, Tiffany, Asuka-san and everyone else helped us after hearing our problem," Junko admitted.

"Yes we are," Momoe said.

"It doesn't matter what dorm we're in, we all have to stick together if we have problems with anything," Seth pointed out.

"Still, I understand Judai and his friends, but why do you want to help us?"

"Now that Junko mentions it, why did you?"

Seth went silent at their questions. "I... I actually wanted to be friends with them... But it's just..."

"Hey! There's Kohaku-san!" Momoe exclaimed. "Kohaku-san! Over here!"

The 'Circus Freak' duelist saw the small group ahead of her and caught up to them. "Hey Junko, Momoe, and... Seth, right?" she greeted.

"Y-Y-Yes!" the boy tensed. The former Obelisks looked at their young savior in slight shock.

"You're still shy? Keep this up, and Obelisks will start picking you. Well, bad ones at least. It's kind of bad enough that they will mock you for your age."

"Y-Yes!"

' _What happened to our savior?_ ' Junko and Momoe wondered, still dumbfounded at Seth's persona.

Kohaku brought her attention back to the girls. "Anyway, you two, Alex's parents sent over that package of cards for you two to remake your decks, or just make a new one. Bella and I are still looking for that Carbaka Shiti guy."

"No, no, Kohaku. It's Carbana Shinji," Momoe corrected.

"Right. That guy. Are you sure he's in Obelisk Blue?"

"He was wearing the blue blazer," Junko said.

"Okay. Just making sure because Asuka asked the Kaiser if there was anyone with that name in the male dorm and he said no. And everyone else was looking around and didn't see him at all."

"But how is that possible?! He can't just disappear! Especially not with the fact that Osiris is getting more students in the dorm, and all because of that guy demoting his own fellow Obelisks!"

"I know how you feel. But look on the bright side."

"What bright side?!"

"Well, you have a great view of the ocean... You get to see Pharaoh everyday..."

"We're on an island; I have a view of the ocean in my dorm! And we see that cat everyday during school!"

Kohaku was starting to sweat nervously. "Good point... Eh hehehe..."

"Not 'hehehe'!"

"Junko, calm down," Momoe spoke.

Seth saw a pair of blues from the corner of his eyes. "Are one of those two that guy?" The three girls looked at the direction he was looking at.

Indeed, it was Shinji, dueling a female Obelisk. On his field was a huge machine-type monster, staring down at the female duelist.

"Now attack the player directly!" he ordered. The monster did as ordered and slammed its fist down at her, depleting her Life Points.

 **Shinji: 4000 LP**  
 **Obelisk Girl: 0000 LP**

 **WINNER: SHINJI!**

"I win. As promised, you are demoted to Osiris," the boy said.

"You will regret this!" The girl took off crying.

"Hmph. Like anyone can beat a true Obelisk."

"Hey!" Shinji turned to the person who called him and saw Junko and Momoe approaching him. Well, Junko was approaching him.

"Well, if it isn't the first two female Obelisks who got their demotion. How are you two today?" he mocked.

"You think you're so clever, don't you?! Demoting your own dormmates like this!" the red-head female gritted her teeth.

"I don't think; I know. Know that I'm doing the right thing. I mean after all, you ladies got to Obelisk, not because of your skills or knowledge, but because of your gender. I'm only doing what's fair and put you where you actually belong. And so far, it's right at the very bottom of the scale. You couldn't touch my Life Points." Those last few words made Junko grit her teeth. "Although, you could regain your status."

That got her full attention. "Really? How?"

"Simple: duel me and win. Lose, though, and it's a one-way trip off this island for you." Everyone press t widened their eyes at the risks.

"You can't do that!" Seth shouted.

"I can. Being son of one of the Duel Academia board, I have more than enough power to get students expelled. Of course, I'm still a reasonable guy. We're all duelists here; so we will decide your fate in a duel."

"Then I'll duel in their place," came a voice familiar to the girls. The group turned and saw Bella.

"Bella-san! When did you-?!"

The psychic duelist cut Momoe off. "I saw a fellow Obelisk crying. Said something about being demoted after she lost a duel. Since her situation sounded like Junko and Momoe's, I asked her where her duel was. Good thing I arrived, because I will not let you continue your unreasonable actions any longer, Carbana!"

The male Obelisk scoffed at her words. "Unreasonable? The school's dorming system is unreasonable. While the guys have to show their worth to get to where they are, the girls get a free pass to Obelisk dorm. With the exception of the transfers."

"I may agree with you on that, but that gave you no right to do these things, no matter who you're related to!"

"And what are you going to do about it, witch?"

"How about a duel? I win, everyone who got demoted by you will be promoted back to the dorm they were in before dueling you."

"And if you lose?"

"You can expel me instead." Bella's friends looked at her with wide eyes at her condition. "You heard me; you win, I'm off this island for good." Her friends tried to talk her out of the condition she made for herself, but she disregarded them.

"We have no place for witches on the island in the first place," Shinji stated. "Very well. Prepare yourself!"

Both duelists activated their duel disks. "DUEL!"

 **Shinji: 4000 LP**  
 **Bella: 4000 LP**

"Normal duelists first. Draw." Shinji drew his sixth card. "I activate the Continuous Magic, Machiners Frontline! If you don't know what this card can do, you will know soon enough. I summon a monster in Defense Mode and set one card face-down. Turn end."

"My turn! Draw!" Bella drew her next card. "First off, I summon Six Paths of Pain, Animal!" A pale white-skinned ninja in red robe appeared on her field.

 **Six Paths of Pain, Animal Level 4/EARTH/Zombie** **/1700 ATK/1700 DEF**

"I activate Animal's special ability! Once per turn, I can Special Summon one 'Rinnegan Giant' monster from my deck! I special summon Rinnegan Giant Drill-Beaked Bird!" An unusual bird with a jagged yellow beak, three distinct legs and two sticks sticking out from its back and neck appeared on the field.

 **Rinnegan Giant Drill-Beaked Bird: Level 4/WIND/Winged Beast/1900 ATK/1400 DEF**

"I hope you know what you're doing..." the ninja said.

Bella simply nodded in response, as if to say that she knew what she's doing. "When I use this effect, Animal switches to Defense Mode!" Said zombie ninja went on one knee and crossed his arms in a block position. "Battle! Rinnegan Giant Drill-Beaked Bird attacks your face down monster!" The Winged Beast dove to its target and spun clockwise, not only destroying it but also dealing damage to her opponent. "When Drill-Beaked Bird attacks a Defense Position Monster whose DEF is lower that its ATK, it can deal piercing damage to my opponent."

 **Shinji: 3900 LP**  
 **Bella: 4000 LP**

"I activate my Trap Card, Time Machine," Shinji declared. "When a monster is destroyed by battle, I can return that monster back on its owner's field in the position it was in before. Return to me, Machiners Defender." A blue tank-like monster appeared back on his field.

 **Machiners Defender: Level 4/EARTH/Machine/1200 ATK/1800 DEF**

"And furthermore, I activate Machiners Defender's Flip Effect. From my deck, I add one Commander Covington to my hand." He added the said card to his hand after revealing it. "Also, I activate the Continuous Magic, Machiners Frontline's effect. Once per turn, when a Machine-Type monster is destroyed by battle and sent to my Graveyard, I am able to Special Summon one Machine-Type monster from my deck that has the same Attribute and less ATK than the destroyed monster."

"But he just summoned Defender back from the Graveyard," Momoe pointed out.

"Doesn't mean it wasn't sent there in the first place. Because Defender was sent to the Graveyard first, he can use his Magic card's effect," Junko explained.

"I see you Osiris actually learned something. In any case, through this effect, I Special Summon Cipher Scouter!" A blue and purple cyborg appeared on the field.

 **Cipher Scouter: Level 3/EARTH/Machine/1350 ATK/1800 DEF**

Bella looked down at her hand. "I will... set two cards face down! Turn end!"

"My turn. Draw." Shinji drew his next card. "I summon Machiners Sniper!" A tall lightish brown robot with a gun appeared on his field.

 **Machiners Sniper: Level 4/EARTH/Machine/1800 ATK/800 DEF**

"While he's on the field, he's the only 'Machiners' monster who can be targeted for attacks. And next, I activate the Continuous Magic, Machine Conversion Factory. This gives Machine-type monsters I control 300 more ATK and DEF." Power surged through each monster on Shinji's field.

 **Machiners Defender: 1200 + 300 = 1500 ATK/1800 + 300 = 2100 DEF**

 **Cipher Scouter: 1350 + 300 = 1650 ATK/1800 + 300 = 2100 DEF**

 **Machiners Sniper: 1800 + 300 = 2100 ATK/800 + 300 = 1100 DEF**

"Battle! Sniper will attack Drill Beaked Bird!" Shinji declared. His currently strongest monster fired its shot at the Winged-Beast, obliterating it to pieces.

 **Shinji: 3900 LP**  
 **Bella: 3800 LP**

"Next, I attack Animal with Scouter!"

" _I won't let you_! Trap card open! Half Unbreak!" Bella countered. "With this card, a monster I control can't be destroyed by battle and whatever damage I take from Battle involving it is halved! Since Pain is in Defense Mode, I won't take damage anyway!" A shied appeared in front of her monster and blocked the oncoming attack.

"Tch. Saved yourself," the turntaker muttered. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

"My turn! Draw!" Bella drew her next card. "I switch Pain to Attack mode and activate his effect! Switching him back to Defense to Special Summon a 'Rinnegan Giant' monster from my deck! Come, Rinnegan Giant Panda!" A huge panda with white stitches appeared on the field.

 **Rinnegan Giant Panda: Level 4/EARTH/Beast/1700 ATK/1200 DEF**

"Now I release both these monsters to Advance Summon Akatsuki Shinobi, Nagato!" The two monsters left the field and, in their place, a crippled ninja came into view.

 **Akatsuki Shinobi, Nagato: Level 9/DARK/Warrior/0 ATK/0 DEF**

"Congratulations. You dismissed weak monsters for an even weaker one. I am impressed with this action," Shinji mocked.

"Then you'll be more impressed with this! Nagato gains 1000 ATK and DEF for each 'Six Paths of Pain' and 'Rinnegan Giant' monster on the field and in my Graveyard! There are two 'Rinnegan Giants' in my Graveyard and a 'Six Path of Pain'. That makes his ATK and DEF 3000!" True to her words, the newly summoned monster grew bigger in power.

 **Akatsuki Shinobi, Nagato: 0 + 1000 x 3 = 3000 ATK/0 + 1000 x 3 = 3000 DEF**

"Next, I activate Nagato's second effect! Once per turn, I can Special Summon a 'Six Paths of Pain' monster from my hand or deck! I Special Summon Six Paths of Pain, Naraka from my deck!" A ninja who looks similar to Animal rose from the ground.

 **Six Paths of Pain, Naraka: Level 6/LIGHT/Zombie/0 ATK/0 DEF**

"With another 'Six Paths of Pain' monster on the field, Nagato gains more power!"

 **Akatsuki Shinobi, Nagato: 3000 + 1000 = 4000 ATK/3000 + 1000 = 4000 DEF**

"Next, Naraka's effect! Once per turn, I can Special Summon one 'Six Paths of Pain' monster from my Graveyard! Come back, Animal!" The first undead ninja came back on the field. "And reusing his effect, I now Special Summon Rinnegan Giant Multi-Headed Dog and give Nagato more power!" A huge brown mutt with heads that out numbers Cerberus' appeared on the field.

 **Rinnegan Giant Multi-Headed Dog: Level 6/EARTH/Beast/2500 ATK/2000 DEF**

 **Akatsuki Shinobi, Nagato: 4000 + 1000 = 5000 ATK/4000 + 1000 = 5000 DEF**

"Look at that field!" Junko gasped.

"With that field, she can beat him!" Momoe exclaimed.

"I have a feeling that it won't be that easy," Seth said.

"Battle! I attack Machiners Sniper with Multi-Headed Dog!" The Beast-type monster went and chomped one of the machines.

 **Shinji: 3500 LP**  
 **Bella: 3800 LP**

"With Machiners Frontline, I Special Summon Shretsdder in Defense Mode!" A tiki-like monster with spikes on its head and little arms and legs appeared on the field.

 **Shretsdder: Level 4/EARTH/Machine/1600 ATK/1000 DEF**

"However, Multi-Headed Dog can attack multiple times. Go for the other three monsters!" Multi-Headed Dog gobbled up the other machines.

 **Shinji: 2650 LP**  
 **Bella: 3800 LP**

"Now direct attack, Nagato! **Wind Release: Gale Palm!** " The ninja clapsed his hands together and released a powerful wind.

"Reverse card open! Defense Draw!" Shinji countered. The wind soon became a calm, soothing breeze. "With Defense Draw's effect, the damage I would've taken is reduced to zero and I draw a card." He drew his next card.

"So close..." Momoe sighed.

"But she just needs one more turn! Do your best, Bella-san!" Junko cheered.

Shinji began his turn and drew his next card. "I guess now's a good time to end this." The atmosphere around the two duelists tensed a bit. "From my hand, by discarding Machine-type monsters from my hand to the Graveyard with combined Level of 8 or more, I Special Summon Machiners Fortress!" A cyan tank-like monster appeared on his field.

 **Machiners Fortress: Level 7/EARTH/Machine/2500 + 300 = 2800 ATK/1600 + 300 = 1900 DEF**

"Now I release Machiners Fortress to Advance Summon Machine King!" The tank reassembled itself into a robot warrior.

 **Machine King: Level 6/EARTH/Machine/2200 + 300 = 2500 ATK/2000 + 300 = 2300 DEF**

"And with Machine King's special ability, he gains 100 ATK for each Machine-type monster on the field, including himself!"

 **Machine King: 2500 + 100 = 2600 ATK**

"And from my Graveyard, I activate Machiners Megaform's special ability, whom I discarded to Special Summon Machiners Fortress! If Fortress is sent from my field to the Graveyard while face-up, I can banish it and Special Summon this card!" The tank monster returned to the field and transformed into a bigger robot warrior.

 **Machiners Megaform: Level 8/EARTH/Machine/2600 + 300 = 2900 ATK/1500 + 300 = 1800 DEF**

 **Machine King: 2600 + 100 = 2700 ATK**

"Next, I activate the Equip Magic, Spirit Charmers Sage Staff!" The king of machines held a staff in his hand.

"A 'Spirit Charmers' card?" Kohaku questioned.

"In a Machine Deck?" Seth also questioned.

"This card can only be equipped to Machine King," the dueling Obelisk explained. "With it, Machine King gains 200 ATK for each 'Spirit Charmer' on the field!"

"But neither of us has any Spirit Charmer," Bella pointed out.

"The reason why I will use its second effect. I can release Machine King to Special Summon Spirit Charmer Sage Machine King from my deck!" The equip monster glowed bright and was in a magician's outfit.

 **Spirit Charmer Sage Machine King: Level 6/EARTH/Machine/2500 + 300 = 2800 ATK/2300 + 300 = 2600 DEF**

"With this Machine King's special ability, for every Machine-type and 'Spirit Charmer' monster in my Graveyard, he gains 200 ATK! There are five Machine-type monsters, so that's 1000 more ATK!" The newly summoned monster let out what sounded like a roar as it grew stronger.

 **Spirit Charmer Sage Machine King: 2800 + 1000 = 3800 ATK**

"And with his second effect, by discarding one Machine-type monster from my hand to the Graveyard, I can destroy one monster my opponent controls! I discard my Commander Covington to destroy Nagato! **Magic Rifle!** " The Spellcaster/Machine let out magic bullets at the high-level ninja, destroying him, as well as gaining more ATK.

 **Spirit Charmer Sage Machine King: 3800 + 200 = 4000 ATK**

"Battle! I attack Multi-Headed Dog with Megaform! **Mega Punch!** " The former tank charged at the beast and slammed its fist down at it, piercing through its figure and destroying it.

 **Shinji: 2650 LP**  
 **Bella: 3400 LP**

"Next I attack your Naraka with Sage Machine King! **Spiritual Blast!** " Said monster released a large beam of magic energy at the zero attacker and destroyed it. "I end my turn."

"My turn. Draw!" Bella drew her next card and analyzed the situation at hand. "I switch Animal back to Attack Mode and activate his effect! Special summoning Rinnegan Giant Rhino from my deck!" A giant rhinoceros with appeared on her field.

 **Rinnegn Giant Rhino: Level 5/EARTH/Beast/2000 ATK/1000 DEF**

"Now I release Rhino to Advance Summon Akatsuki Shinobi, Deidara in Defense Mode!" The monster did a couple of hand signals before he poofed into smoke, changing into a blonde ninja with long bangs covering the left side of his face.

 **Akatsuki Shinobi, Deidara: Level 6/EARTH/Warrior/1900 ATK/1300 DEF**

"Well, here's something you don't see everyday," he commented.

"Not the time, Deidara," Animal muttered.

"Yeah yeah."

"I activate Deidara's special ability! By sending the top card of my deck to the Graveyard, I can inflict 800 points of damage to my opponent! **Explosive Clay!** " The newly summoned ninja took out a ball of clay and placed it on his palm, which had a mouth on it. The mouth chewed the clay as Deidara reeled his hand back. He thrusts it forward, shooting the clay out and caused it to explode on contact with Shinji.

 **Shinji: 1850 LP**  
 **Bella: 3400 LP**

"That's disgusting! And it hurts!" he complained.

"You're a man, aren't you? Deal with it," the blonde ninja said, not that anyone but the psychic duelists heard him say it.

"I end my turn!" Bella ended.

"My turn, draw!" Shinji drew his next card. "Now to end this duel! I activate the Magic card, Raigeki!" The bystanders gasped, knowing what that card can do. "With this, all your monsters are destroyed!" Lightning rained down on the two ninjas, eliminating them.

"You activated Deidara's special ability!" Bella shouted, surprising her opponent. "When he's destroyed, I can Special Summon three 'Art Tokens' in Defense Mode!" Three clay version of the blonde ninja appeared on her field.

 **3x Art Token: Level 3/EARTH/Rock/900 ATK/600 DEF**

Shinji gritted his teeth at how well his opponent was defending herself.

"And also, Trap Card open! Threatening Roar! You can't conduct your Battle Phase this turn!" This made him glare at Bella in pure hatred.

"Nice block, Bella-san!" Momoe cheered.

"Now you just have to turn it around somehow on your turn!" Junko followed.

"Enough with the defense already! I thought you're a monster! Then fight like one!" the dueling male Obelisk demanded.

"Just because there are people who treats me as such doesn't mean that I am," Bella calmly stated. "I'm not going to let any more words force me to do what I don't like to do any longer! Especially not now that I have friends who are willing to show me how I can use my gift for a good cause!"

Kohaku smiled softly at those words, knowing she was one of the friends who were successfully helping her with that problem.

"My turn. Draw!" Bella drew her next card. She smiled at the card she drew and saw her chance at turning the duel around to her advantage. " _Ladies and gentlemen~!_ It is finally time to bring this duel to its end~!" The duelists around her looked at her in anticipation. "Firstly, by releasing two of my Art Tokens, I can Advance Summon Akatsuki Shinobi, Tobi~!" The two clays merged and an orange-masked ninja was formed.

 **Akatsuki Shinobi, Tobi: Level 7/DARK/Warrior/2500 ATK/3000 DEF**

"And what good is that monster when he can't get pass my monsters?" Shinji asked.

"It's for this. I activate the Magic card, Sealing Technique: Phantom Dragons Nine Consuming Seals!" Nine blue dragon-like effigies appeared and surrounded the two Machines.

"What is this?!"

"This is Phantom Dragon's Nine Consuming Seals! It can only be activated when Nagato or Tobi and at least one other 'Akatsuki Shinobi' monster is on the field! With this card, your monsters are removed from the field until the end of this turn!"

"But you don't have another 'Akatsuki Shinobi' on the field!"

"Deidara's Art Tokens count as 'Akatsuki Shinobi' monsters." The Machine Duelist gasped as he saw his monsters fading away from existence. "Now I Battle! Tobi! Attack then player directly! **Fire Release: Blast Wave Wild Dance!** " The masked ninja released a large stream of fire at the opposing duelist. Once it was a couple of feet away from him, the flames redirected itself to the sky and caused a huge explosion, one strong enough to send shockwaves to force Shinji back and take down his Life Points.

 **Shinji: 0000 LP**  
 **Bella: 3400 LP**

 **WINNER: BELLA!**

"She did it!" the Osiris females cheered.

"Nice one!" Kohaku followed.

Seth looked at the down Obelisk. "Don't forget what you promised. The duelists who got demoted by you will return to the dorm they were in."

"What promise?! I made no promise!" Shinji snapped.

They all looked at him in shock.

"Yes you did!" Momoe said.

"That was the point in this duel!" her friend supported.

"I doubt he intended in keeping his promise," Time Space Magician said to his duelist.

"I think so too."

"That's enough!" came a voice of an adult. They all turned to see a man in his mid-40s.

"D-Dad?!" Shinji stuttered.

"Be silent, boy. I saw everything, since before this duel stadted," Shinji's father said. "And it would also explain why I see Obelisks rapidly going down to Osiris. Who was it that told you you could decide the fate of your fellow classmates? I don't remember ever saying that!"

"D-Dad... I..."

"No words can express how disappointed I am. Especially when you back out of your deal before you started this duel." He grabbed Shinji by the arm. "Come with me to the Principal's Office. You will explain everything and receive great punishment for your actions! Afterwards, we will promoted the Osiris back to the rank they were assigned to before you messed it up!" With that, the two left the group.

"... What just happened?" Junko dared to ask.

"I think you, Momoe and the other Obelisks and Ras are going to be back out of Osiris," Kohaku said.

"That's what it looks like to me too," Seth agreed.


	18. Vs the King Part 1

**Coral: I AM BACK!**

 **Aki: *hit her head* What took you so long?!**

 **Coral: *rubbing her head* Can you blame me for being on a roll with one of my other stories?! I mean honestly! I couldn't just stick to my updating pattern with my urge to just put them all up in that story! If I had the same feeling with this one, I would just stick to it for a while! Besides, I already had punishment for just sticking to it in a form of a headache from updating at least five chapters of it in a row! FIVE!**

 **Aki: ... Well, when you put it that way, you got what you deserve.**

 **Coral: Anyway! The wait is over! And the story will continue! Oh and uh... Generalhyna... I know what we said about what this chapter should be... But I just can't resist! I had to skip! Hope you'll like it anyway.**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 ** _*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*_**

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

 _ ***OPENING***_

 ** _(Instrumental)_** _(_ _The scene begins with a nice top view of the island_ _)_

 ** _To the beginning sky... towards the shining light  
_** _(The camera looks up to the sky, having a nice view of it and the sun as the anime logo slowly appeared)  
_ ** _There's nothing to fear... because I'm here..._** _  
(Freakstar Dragon with Naruto on his back and Time Space Magician flew pass the logo the Spellcaster-type shined the crystal ball on his staff, changing the scene)_

 ** _Falling countless times to your knees_** _  
_ ** _Not protecting your own pride  
_** _(Kohaku slipped on a banana peel and was laughed at by many students. She laughed along with them)  
_ ** _Only coming up with just doubts_** _  
_ ** _Do not close your eyes just yet  
_** _(Alex and Bella looked at the scene in slight envy at how she was, in a way, getting along with many others despite her being in Red and daughter of a famous circus' ringmaster and walked their separate ways)_

 ** _I absolutely cannot see  
_** ** _the possibility that's here and now  
_** _(Judai was imagining himself as the next King of Games. Manjoume and his friends along with Chronos glared at how impossible it would be for him while Misawa, Shou and Hayato looked at him with interest or slight admiration)  
_ ** _When these tears turn into rain  
_** ** _I just want you to notice_** _  
(Asuka and Ryou were at the entrance of the Abandon Dorm and stared at a picture of the latter's brother with determination)_

 ** _Spit out all the vexing things  
_** ** _Because there's a meaning for taking things  
_** _(Bella was remembering the time when she was younger, getting bullied and being isolated by others because of her powers. Her patience went to her limit as she accidentally summoned a monster and released it onto them)  
_ ** _Even if you desire everything, you don't need to grasp it all  
_** _(_ _Alex was remembering when he was accepted into Duel Academy and told the principal that he wished to start at the lowest rank, just to be bullied by those of a higher rank_ _)  
_ ** _Just keep a hold of one most important thing_** _  
(Kohaku placed her hands on their shoulders and snapped them out of the memory lane and smiled at them then pushed them to the rest of their friends)_

 ** _In the beginning of the sky, I welcome you  
_** ** _do not ever look back just look forward  
_** _(Judai had out Flame Wingman, who fought against Chronos' Antique Gear Golem and Asuka's Cyber Blader, as Kohaku had out Time Space Magician, who was going head-to-head against Alex's Light and Darkness Dragon and Bella's Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama)  
_ ** _If you feel the wind on your back  
_** ** _then there won't be anything to worry about_** _  
(Shou and his monsters were looking at his brother and his monsters with determination, who smirked in approval, causing the younger sibling to smile back)_

 ** _If you would look around, you'd see all these smiling faces  
_** _(In another realm, it showed all of Kohaku, Bella, Alex, Judai, Shou, Hayato, and Asuka's monsters smiling at the camera)  
_ ** _Do not carry everything by yourself  
_** _(Kohaku was looking at her late sister's deck in her hand with a solemn look, the deck's monster spirits floating right by her side)  
_ ** _Don't rush either, the answer is along the way  
_** _(The scene turned dark and the whole gang were running towards the light)  
_ ** _you'll definitely find it for sure_** _  
(They arrived at a lighthouse, looking up at the night sky)_

* * *

It was the afternoon on the island. Things were hectic since Bella's duel against Shinji. After that event was the Dueling Giant mystery, in which Judai solved, and the Golden Eggwich stealer, resolved also by Judai. After those events, things were as normal as can be.

Judai and Kohaku were on their way to the school's card shop when they saw a lot of students gathering in the hall.

"What's going on?" the male Osiris asked, as they ran up to the crowd. They stood by Misawa's side.

"Hey, Misawa! What's going on here?" Kohaku asked.

"Is there a fight?!" Judai assumed. They looked into the crowd and saw a wide open area. Both looked left and saw a Ra Yellow Student with two fave-downs on his field.

"Isn't that guy Kagurazaka?" the female Ra asked.

"Yeah. And look who his opponent is," Misawa told them. The looked the other side and saw-

"Shou!"

"Aniki!" Shou was dueling the boy, one of his monsters on the field by his side in Attack Mode.

"What are you doing, Shou?" Judai and Kohaku squeezed through to get to him.

"What does it look like?" the boy asked back. He then gestures to some posters on the wall.

"Duel Academia is having a special showing of the deck of the first King of Games, Muto Yugi," came Tiffany's voice from behind the two. They turned and saw her, Alex, Bella and Seth at the front of the crowd.

"So then, the deck Yugi-san used is coming to our school?!" Judai asked.

"Well, we have to see it, right?!" Shou said. He noticed his friend was in a dazed state. He tried to get him out of the dream-like state.

"Muto Yugi... He whom defeated Pegasus, creator of Duel Monsters at Duelist Kingdom," Bella spoke in great respect.

"Don't forget that he defeated Kaiba Seto and Marik at Battle City," Seth added.

"And he also has the abilities to command the God Cards. The guy is a legend," Alex added on.

"Well, the God Cards won't be in, but it will have Black Magician and Black Magician Girl!" Shou added on to that. "As well as other super-rare and well-prized cards in that deck! We just have to go see it!"

"Well I get that, but what does it have to do with the situation now?" Judai questioned.

"Shou is basically dueling for the last ticket the shop have," Bella answered.

"That's right," Tome, the owner of the shop, supported. "It's the last one, so they decided to settle it with a duel."

Judai and Kohaku were shocked to hear that.

"Don't push it, Shou," Judai told his '-roid' duelist friend, assuming the last ticket was for himself.

"What are you talking about? I'm trying to win that ticket for you. My ticket is right here," he corrected. Shou took out said ticket to prove his point.

This, in turn, changed the brunette's mood. "Do your best, Shou!"

"I-I got it..."

"So wait, then do any of you guys have an extra for me?" Kohaku asked the others. They all gave her confused looks.

"But Kohaku, Tome-san said you already got you ticket," Alex said.

"I didn't!" They looked at her with shocked looks. "Tome-san, what-?!"

"I didn't say she got her ticket. I said Samejima needed to see her about the presentation," she corrected.

"Me?"

"Yep. Go see him after this duel."

With that, Shou went back to his spot and declared the duel to resume.

"My turn!" Kagurazaka drew his next card and smirked. "I activate the Magic Card, Heavy Storm! This destroys all Magic and Trap cards on the field- na no ne!"

Judai slightly widened his eyes at those words. "I'm getting a bit of a de ja vu here."

"Kagurazaka is using a copy of Chronos-sensei's deck," Misawa answered out of nowhere.

"When did you get here?" Bella questioned.

Meanwhile, a storm came and destroyed Kagurazaka's set cards. In their place were two gold monsters.

 **Wicked Token: Level 4/DARK/Fiend/1000 ATK/1000 DEF**

"I now release two Tokens to Advance Summon Antique Gear Golem!" The two were released and a giant, ruined machine appeared in their place.

 **Antique Gear Golem: Level 8/EARTH/Machine/3000 ATK/3000 DEF**

"Go! Antique Gear Golem!" The monmonster pulled back its fist and sent a punch at Shou's monster.

"I activate Jetroid's special ability!" Shou countered. "When this card is targeted for an attack, I can activate a Trap Card from my hand! Magic Cylinder!" Two cylinders appeared inront of his monster. "I send that attack right back at you!"

"What?!" True to his words, the golem's attack went in one cylinder and out the other, depleting the rest of the Ra's Life Points.

 **Shou: 800 LP**  
 **Kagurazaka: 0000 LP**

 **WINNER: SHOU! (I know they didn't show his Life Points)**

"Yes! I won!" Shou cheered.

"That was awesome, Shou!" Judai exclaimed. "I struggled with that combo, but you broke through like it was nothing."

"I remembered your duel with Chronos-sensei, so I made sure to put in a counter for it in my deck!" he slightly boasted.

"Well, now that the duel is over..." Alex and Bella grabbed Kohaku by the arms. "We have to take you to Samejima-sensei's office!" They took off at great speed to their destination, Tiffany and Seth following.

"Wait! Hold on a second!" the female Ra shouted through the halls.

Some time later, they managed to get to the office at record time and slammed the door open.

"Excuse us!" Alex and Bella shouted, accidentally tossing a dazed Kohaku right at the principal's desk.

" _Did someone get the number on that truck~?_ " the poor girl was then knocked out.

"Ah! Kohaku!" Alex yelled, as he knelt by her side. "Kohaku! Speak to me! Are you okay?!"

"Does it look like she's okay?! We threw her head-first to a desk!" Bella yelled, yet she was also trying to get her best friend to wake.

All of a sudden, light appeared from above and shone on Kohaku. Singing angels were heard as Kohaku's soul slowly left her body. Angel wings appeared on her back as she slowly floated away into the afterlife.

"HELL NO!" Alex slapped Kohaku's cheeks, hard, shocking her greatly. The light shut off and the singing angels ended with a scratch similar to a record player as Kohaku's soul returned to her body. "What did we talk about that included you and death?! And don't you dare play dead with me, _for goodness sake_! You don't die unless if given permission to!"

In response, Kohaku punched the boy away from her. "Who the hell prevents someone's death by slapping their cheeks, dammit?!" she demanded.

"That's too fast of a recovery!" Bella air-slapped.

"Who the hell dies by getting slammed face-first into a desk?!" Alex shouted back at the 'Circus Freak' duelist.

"In my defense, you and Bella ran at full speed, in record time no less, to get me here! You both practically threw me at full force!"

"Still it's one thing to get knocked out, but die?!"

"Ahem... As much as I would like the show to continue, I would like to speak with my daughter if possible," came a voice too familiar to Kohaku.

They faced the source of the voice and saw a man in his fourties. He was wearing a red and white coat with a white shirt under it, yellow pants and black shoes. He had a small goatee and a black top hat. One look at him was enough to for them to know who he is.

"N-no way..." Bella breathed.

"You're kidding..." Alex followed.

"D-... Dad?!" Kohaku gasped out.

Much to their surprise, Kohaku's dad, Kigara Kazato, was in the office with Samejima.

"Hey there, Kohaku. How's my daughter?" he casually asked.

"I'm fine but... What are you doing here?" the female Ra asked happily.

"Took some time off from the project I was working on with Pegasus. Decided to come here and visit. Your mom would've come... But not today. Until the day we go back to our work, we decided to stay here, watch over our daughter."

No words of happiness could describe just how happy Kohaku was. "Really?!"

"You bet, squirt!" He rubbed her head, messing up her short hair. He looked up at her friends. "Speaking of which, I see you decided to start a new circus crew."

Bella and Alex widened their eyes when they heard that. "Oh no, we're just her friends," the former corrected.

"After that little gag earlier, I find that hard to believe."

"Kohaku just gets us in her gag, but we're just friends, nothing more," Alex told him.

The guy just waved off what he was told. "Whatever you say, juniors."

"It's the truth!" both of Kohaku's friends exclaimed.

Kazato just laughed at the two. "Your friends are as amusing as you said in your letters, Kohaku!"

"Right?!" his daughter also laughed.

' _Now we see the similarities,_ ' her friends thought in unison.

"So dad, did you bring your deck?"

"Well... You see, I was so busy with the project, and I wanted to see my daughter, I forgot to bring my deck," Kazato said, hanging his head.

"Aw... I wanted to duel you too. See whose Entertainment Duel is better."

"Hah! You may be my daughter, but you're still years too early to surpass me in that style of dueling!"

"Huh?! I wouldn't be too sure about that, old man! I have youth on my side, so I can do more stunts than you can!"

Kazato gasped at that accusation. The room suddenly got dark, with the spotlight on him on his knees and hands and cherry blossom petals breezing through. "Of course... How can I not see that? I am too old to be doing Entertainment Duels now... I want to duel my daughter with my full strength too... But I haven't dueled in so long..."

Kohaku was starting to tear at the scene. "Dad..."

"Maybe you're right Kohaku... Perhaps I should just give up on dueling entirely."

"What are you saying?! It doesn't matter how old you are! Dad, you have more experience than I do in dueling. And you may not have dueled for so long, but you used Duel Monsters in our circus for lots of acts and stunts! Everyone loved it! They even gave you the title of King of Entertainments!"

Kazato looked up at his daughter. "Kohaku..."

"Don't give up dueling, dad! I want to prove myself that I am worthy of being the future Queen of Entertainments! Besides, there are plenty of duelists out there who sees you as their idol, their hero! How do you think they'll feel if they hear their idol gave up dueling because of his age and lack of duels?!"

"Kohaku... You're right! I cannot give up because of my age!"

"Dad..."

"Kohaku..."

The two then embraced themselves and cried on each others' shoulders.

"That's a bit dramatic, don't you think?" Bella questioned, as she and Alex sweatdropped at the scene.

"Extremely dramatic," the male Ra agreed. "And where did those cherry blossom petals come from?"

"I think it was touching..." came Tiffany's voice. The two jumped at her voice and saw her and Seth watching the scene teary-eyed, the former biting her handkerchief to hold back crying sounds.

"When did you get here?"

"Since they started that touching scene..." Seth answered, voice cracking from the scene.

"So anyway, back to what you're here for," Kazato spoke, acting as though the scene never happened.

"Yeah, why am I here?" Kohaku asked, also acting as though it never happened.

"Stop with the fast recovery already! It's too weird!" Alex and Bella shouted at the same time.

The two just ignored them as the adult answered, "Besides picking up your ticket that I got you, I am also happy to announce in person that the project I spoke of is soon to be completed!" The students in the room gasped at his words.

"But wait, didn't you say it was still in progress?" the only Obelisk in the room asked.

"I said I am taking time off, not that it's still in progress. Though technically it is."

"So it's almost done? The project Kohaku told us you were doing," Tiffany asked.

"Of course! Just need to do some testing and fixing some things here and there. I'd say it'll be in Duel Academia within a month or two at best!"

The five students looked at each other in excitement.

Samejima took this moment to speak at last. "That's right. And as soon as it gets here, Mr. Kigara will be a new teacher here. Teaching you young ones how to duel using the project."

"Really?!" Seth asked.

"That's right."

"Oh wow! We're going to have one of the world's best duelists as our teacher!"

"I may be an Entertainment Duelist, but I haven't dueled in a while, so I can't really call myself great at the moment."

' _What was the point of all that drama then?_ ' Alex and Bella mentally questioned.

* * *

Later that day, at night, Kohaku had finished showing her father around the island, with her friends following her, mostly to get to know more about Kazato.

"By the way, why do you have different last names?" Alex asked.

"When mom and dad had me, they weren't married, and my dad wasn't ready to be a father," the daughter of the two former performers answered.

"Yes. It felt like the biggest mistake in my life. I didn't know what to do. How to be a good father," the adult of the group admitted. "Not only that, but I had a circus to run."

Just then, they heard a scream.

"What was that?!" Tiffany asked.

"That sounded like Shou's voice!" Bella identified.

"We should check it out!" Seth suggested. They all ran to the direction of the voice.

When they arrived, they saw Shou on his knees. With him were Judai, Hayato and Misawa.

"Judai! Guys!" Kohaku called.

"Kohaku!" Judai called back.

"What happened here?"

"Well you see..." He looked out at sea. They followed his direction and saw Kagurazaka equipped with a duel disk, as well as donning a smirk on his face.

"Kagurazaka?" Alex asked.

"He took Yugi-san's deck and beat me with it," Shou explained.

"He what?!" the youngest Ra gasped.

"It's true! I, who have researched Muto Yugi's duels, possess the deck of the King of Games himself! I am recreating them at 100%! I am not losing to anyone ever again! Not Chronos, of Kaiser, or anyone!" Kagurazaka claimed.

Kohaku clenched her fist at those words. She took Shou's duel disk. "I'm borrowing this." She leapt on a boulder opposite of Kagurazaka's. "If you really think you are worthy of the deck you're using, then how about you prove it to me?"

"You mean to tell me you think you can win?"

"Of course. Although it's true that I am going against the King of Games' deck, who I am up against, isn't the person himself!"

Her soon-to-be opponent glared at her for those words. "Very well. I'll duel you."

Kohaku inserted a deck in the deck slot. "DUEL!"

 **Kagurazaka: 4000 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 4000 LP**

"I'll start first. Draw!" Kohaku drew her sixth card. "I summon Gungnir Relic User, Hibiki in Attack Mode!" The cheery blonde appeared on her field.

 **Gungnir Relic User, Hibiki: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/1300 ATK/1000 DEF**

"She's using her sister's 'Relic' deck?" Hayato questioned.

"But why?" Shou wondered.

"Take a good look at the situation," Misawa told the two Reds. "What's the similarity between the two right now?"

"They're using decks that isn't their own." Both widened their eyes at Shou's answer.

"If I were to guess, I would say Kohaku wants to show Kagurazaka that it takes more than research to master one's deck." They looked on in understanding.

However, as for Kazato and the others, they looked at the duel with a different assumption as to why Kohaku would use her late sibling's deck.

"Looks like we have quite a clean up to get to," Hibiki stated.

"I activate Hibiki' special effect! When summoned, I can add a 'Relic Weapon' card from my deck to my hand! Of course, that card is her signature card, the Equip Magic, Relic Weapon, Glove!" Said card was added to Kohaku's hand. "And now I activate it! Now Hibiki can fight at full strength!"

A pendant appeared in the monster's hand as she sang the incantation. " _Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron_ _._ " She then transformed into her white and orange battle gear, with a big yellow spear in hand.

 **Gungnir Relic User, Hibiki: 1300 + 500 = 1800 ATK**

"I end my turn!" Kohaku ended.

"My turn!" Kagurazaka drew his sixth card. "I fuse Phantom Beast King Gazelle and Berfomet from my hand!" Two monsters appeared on his field with Fusion behind them. "Come forth, Chimera, the Winged Phantom Beast!" A chimera was formed from the two monsters.

 **Chimera, the Winged Phantom Beast: Level 6/WIND/Beast/2100 ATK/1800 DEF**

"Right to 2100 ATK?" Judai gasped, as did his Osiris friends and Misawa.

"Go, Chimera! **Impact Dash**!" The monster tackled Hibiki, whom tried to counter but failed to and got destroyed.

 **Kagurazaka: 4000 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 3700 LP**

"Shou, you faced him before, right? Do you have any advice?" Seth asked.

"Actually I lost to that Chimera," the light blue-headed boy said.

"But still, if he's an opponent who rarely wins, then Kohaku should be fine," Tiffany assumed. "A deck as strong as Yugi-san's must have high-level tactics to master."

"We'll see about that," Misawa spoke.

"Apparently, Kagurazaka has too good of a memory. The decks he makes are based on decks of strong duelists," Alex said. "Of course, because the decks he makes are the ones we are quite familiar with, so it's quite easy to know the strengths and weakness of those decks. Not only that, he knows and acts exactly like the duelists of the decks he copies. He can read into the personality of the original duelist and reproduce those tactics."

"And since Yugi-san's deck is one with little to no weaknesses, Kagurazaka is practically an invincible duelist," Bella ended. The male Reds were silent at those words.

"My turn. Draw!" Kohaku drew her next card. She then took a deep breath to calm herself. " _Let's start this show!_ " The audience had smiles on their faces at those words. "Firstly, I summon Gungnir Relic User, Kanade!" A red-head girl in a school uniform appeared on the field.

 **Gungnir Relic User, Kanade: Level 4/FIRE/Warrior/2000 ATK/1000 DEF**

"I activate her summon effect! I will add Relic Weapon, Spear to my hand and equip it to her!" A pendant appeared and landed in Kanade's hand.

"Let's do this! _Croitzal ronzell gungnir zizzl,_ " she sang the incantation. Kanade then transformed into her white and orange combat outfit.

 **Gungnir Relic User, Kanade: 2000 + 500 = 2500 ATK**

"Now then, a quiz! Legend has it that Gungnir is a spear owned by a god which never misses and always kill it's target. In that case, what is Relic Weapon, Spear's second effect?"

Kagurazaka widened his eyes slightly at the question. "Don't tell me..."

" _That's right_! Once per turn, by discarding one Monster card from my hand to the Graveyard, Spear can destroy any monster on the field! I discard the Relic User Protector, Ogawa to destroy Chimera! **Stardust Photon**!" Kanade threw her spear into the air, which summoned thousands more just like it in smaller versions. They all pierced through the Beast-type Fusion monster and destroyed it.

"I activate Chimera's special ability! When this card is destroyed, I can Special Summon one of its Fusion Materials from my Graveyard! Come, Berfomet!" A four-armed monster with wings appeared on his field in Defense Position.

 **Baphomet: Level 5/DARK/Fiend/1400 ATK/1800 DEF**

"But I can still attack! Kanade, go! **Last Meteor**!" Kanade created a strong tornado that carried Baphomet up and off the field and into the ocean. "I end my turn! At this time, Spear's backfire effect activates."

"Backfire effect?" Shou questioned.

"When it uses its second effect, Spear gets destroyed during the End Phase," Tiffany answered. Everyone, excluding Kazato, looked at her in shock as Kanade's spear disintegrated and she returned in her uniform.

 **Gungnir Relic User, Kanade: 2500 - 500 = 2000 ATK**

"My turn." Kagurazaka drew his next card. "I set one card face-down. From my hand I activate the Magic Card, Reincarnation of the Dead! This lets me discard a card from my hand to add a monster in my Graveyard to my hand." He gave the cost in exchange for a monster. "From my Graveyard, I add Phantom Beast King, Gazelle and summon it!" A one-horned monster Beast-type monster appeared on his field.

 **Phantom Beast King, Gazelle: Level 4/EARTH/Beast/1500 ATK/1200 DEF**

"And next I activate the Magic Card, Sealing Swords of Light!" Rays of green light appeared and trapped Kohaku and her monsters in a cage of light.

"Kohaku's monsters!" Alex gasped.

"Now she can't attack for three whole turns," Tiffany said.

"But, couldn't she just use Relic Weapon, Sword's effect to destroy it?" Shou asked.

"That would be the case, except for one thing, boy," Kazato spoke. "That effect can only work on monsters, so it's useless against Sealing Swords of Light."

Despite the situation, Kohaku kept a smile on her face. "My turn. Draw!" She drew her next card. "Now then, everyone! While Kanade is still on the field, I summon her duet partner! Ame no Habakiri Relic User, Tsubasa!" The blue-haired girl appeared on the field.

 **Ame no Habakiri Relic User, Tsubasa: Level 4/WIND/Warrior/1400 ATK/1000 DEF**

"Hey there, Tsubasa!" Kanade greeted.

"Kanade!" Tsubasa greeted back.

"I was waiting for you to summon a monster," Kagurazaka said, ruining the moment. "I activate my trap card, Revival Coffin of the Black-Magic Tribe! When my opponent summons a monster, I can release that monster and a monster I control to Special Summon a Spellcaster-type monster from my Graveyard!"

"But you don't have any Spellcaster-type monsters in your Graveyard!" Judai shouted.

"Unless if the card he discarded earlier was a Spellcaster-type," Kazato pointed out. Judai and the others flinched in realization at the time when Kagurazaka used Reincarnation of the Dead.

"That's right. Now through this card's effect, I will send Ame no Habakiri Relic User, Tsubasa and Gazelle to the Graveyard to summon Black Magician from my Graveyard!" Tsubasa clutched her chest in pain as she slowly disintegrated into pixels, along with Gazelle.

"Tsubasa!" Kanade cried.

On the male Ra's field, a coffin appeared. The lid opened up to reveal a magician in purple robe with a green staff in his hand.

 **Black Magician: Level 7/DARK/Spellcaster/2500 ATK/2100 DEF**

"However, since Tsubasa was summoned, her summon effect will still activate, allowing me to add a 'Relic Weapon' card from my deck to my hand. I add Relic Weapon, Sword to my hand!" Kohaku added the Equip Card to her hand. "I set two cards face-down and switch Kanade to Defense Mode! I end my turn!"

"Black Magician... Yugi-san's symbol..." Judai spoke in awe.

"This is the first time I've seen it in person..." Hayato said, also in awe.

"My turn!" Kagurazaka drew his next card. "I activate the Magic card, Pot of Greed to draw two more cards." He drew more cards." Then, I activate Thousand Knife! If I control a 'Black Magician', this card can destroy one monster my opponent controls!" Lots of knives appeared by his side and shot towards Kanade. She braced herself for the worse and got pierced by the blades.

"Kanade!" Kohaku shouted.

"Kanade's been-!" Bella gasped.

"No way... He just drew that card, too," Alex muttered in shock.

"And now you have no monsters on your field," Kagurazaka laughed. "Black Magician! Direct attack! **Black Magic!** " The Spellcaster shot an energy ball at the female Ra. The ball was close to making contact, when a figure appeared and kicked it to the sky. "What the-?!"

"What just happened?!" Seth asked in shock.

The ball then exploded like a firework, lighting the field enough to reveal a smirking Hibiki on Kohaku's field.

 **Gungnir Relic User, Hibiki: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/1300 ATK/1000 DEF**

"Where did she come from?!" Kagurazaka then demanded.

"When Kanade is sent from the field to the Graveyard, her successor, Gungnir Relic User, Hibiki, is Special Summoned onto my field from my hand, deck or Graveyard! Also, on the turn she was summoned this way, Hibiki cannot be destroyed! In return, Hibiki's effects are negated!" Kohaku announced.

Her friends sighed in relief at those words.

"That's good. She somehow managed to prevent taking a large amount of damage," Tiffany said.

"In that case, I'll end my turn with one card face-down," Kagurazaka ended.

"My turn!" Kohaku drew her next card. "I activate my Continuous Trap, Call of the Living Dead! This brings back one of my monsters! Return to my side, Kanade!" The red-head girl reappeared on her field.

"Kanade-san!" Hibiki called.

"Hey there Hibiki. I see you're doing well," Kanade said.

"Y-Yes ma'am!"

Kanade smirked and ruffled her head. "That's great to hear!"

Kohaku looked at the two monsters and saw her and her sister in them. This made her shed a lone tear, unknown to most people. She quickly wiped it away and resumed to her dueling. "Through Kanade's effect, I add a 'Relic Weapon' card to my hand. That card will be Relic Weapon Enforcer. _Now then everybody_. If you think all the monsters in this deck are girls, you are mistaken! Allow me to introduce to you the parent-figure of these girls! I release Kanade and Hibiki to Advance Summon Relic User Commander, Genjuro!" The two girls leapt and turned into pixels. Those very pixels then merged and formed a muscular man with spiky red hair and a goatee wearing a red dress shirt with a pink tie, light beige slacks and black and blue athletic shoes.

 **Relic User Commander, Genjuro: Level 7/EARTH/Warrior/2700 ATK/1800 DEF**

"I see we have a thief to deal with," Genjuro said. "Don't you know anything about karma, kid?"

"Genjuro's summon effect activates! He can destroy one Magic or Trap card on the field! **Ultimate Breaker!** " Genjuro slammed his fist down onto the ground, sending debris to destroy Sealing Swords of Light. The hit landed and the cage dissipated. "And since Kanade left the field, I can Special Summon Hibiki back from the Graveyard again!" The energetic blonde returned from the Grave.

"Quite a handy ability, wouldn't you say?" Genjuro lightly joked.

"All right! Now's her chance!" Hayato cheered.

"That monster's ATK is higher than Black Magician!" Shou said.

"Which means Kohaku is able to take out Yugi-san's ace monster!" Judai added.

"With no God cards in that deck, Kohaku might have a chance to win!" Misawa agreed.

For some reason, her opponent chuckled at those words, much to their confusion. "That small-fry monster's my ace? How sad of you."

Kohaku clenched her fist at his words. "What?"

"This deck is far beyond your imaginations! Even without the God Cards, it can still hold its own! I activate the Instant Magic, Baptism of Light and Darkness!" His face-down was flipped face up. "By sacrificing a 'Black Magician' on my field, this card summons from my hand, deck or Graveyard Black Magician of Chaos!"

"Black Magician..."

"... of Chaos..." Shou and Hayato repeated.

"One of the highest-leveled monsters, as well as a legendary magician," Misawa explained.

"That's right. You will all now witness a legend!" Kagurazaka claimed. "Come forth! Black Magician of Chaos!" A blue-skinned monster in a black leather clothing appeared, a black staff in hand.

"When this card is successfully summoned, I can add a Magic card from my Graveyard to my hand. I add Reincarnation of the Dead. And Black Magician of Chaos' ATK is higher than Black Magician's! 2800 points!" The Reds gasped in shock at the power.

 **Black Magician of Chaos: Level 8/DARK/Spellcaster/2800 ATK/2600 DEF**

Kohaku looked down at her hand and saw nothing that could help her out. "I end my turn."

"My turn!" Kagurazaka drew his next card. "Black Magician of Chaos! Attack Hibiki! **Destructive Spell!** " The monster released a blue ball of energy covered in electricity at the girl, forcing her away.

 **Kagurazaka: 4000 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 2200 LP**

"Hibiki!" Genjuro and Kohaku cried for the fallen.

"You're 1000 years too early to defeat me," Kagurazaka said.

Kohaku lost her composure and glared at her opponent. Not because she felt like she was dueling Muto Yugi, but for one other reason.

' _This guy... For his cards... There is no way... I'm losing to someone like him!_ '


	19. Vs the King Part 2

**Coral: And now for Part two of the duel! This part is going to be a rather touching one near the end, especially at the end.  
**

 **Aki: Why? What happens at the end?**

 **Coral: Just read and find out.**

 **Aki: Uh-huh...**

 **Coral: Anyway, I think we know the deal with the disclaimers. I do not own any Yugioh. The only OCs I own would be Kohaku, her father and her sister. The decks they own are also my doings. Every other OCs and their decks goes to their own creators.**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 ** _*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*_**

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

 _ ***OPENING***_

 ** _(Instrumental)_** _(_ _The scene begins with a nice top view of the island_ _)_

 ** _To the beginning sky... towards the shining light  
_** _(The camera looks up to the sky, having a nice view of it and the sun as the anime logo slowly appeared)  
_ ** _There's nothing to fear... because I'm here..._** _  
(Freakstar Dragon with Naruto on his back and Time Space Magician flew pass the logo the Spellcaster-type shined the crystal ball on his staff, changing the scene)_

 ** _Falling countless times to your knees_** _  
_ ** _Not protecting your own pride  
_** _(Kohaku slipped on a banana peel and was laughed at by many students. She laughed along with them)  
_ ** _Only coming up with just doubts_** _  
_ ** _Do not close your eyes just yet  
_** _(Alex and Bella looked at the scene in slight envy at how she was, in a way, getting along with many others despite her being in Red and daughter of a famous circus' ringmaster and walked their separate ways)_

 ** _I absolutely cannot see  
_** ** _the possibility that's here and now  
_** _(Judai was imagining himself as the next King of Games. Manjoume and his friends along with Chronos glared at how impossible it would be for him while Misawa, Shou and Hayato looked at him with interest or slight admiration)  
_ ** _When these tears turn into rain  
_** ** _I just want you to notice_** _  
(Asuka and Ryou were at the entrance of the Abandon Dorm and stared at a picture of the latter's brother with determination)_

 ** _Spit out all the vexing things  
_** ** _Because there's a meaning for taking things  
_** _(Bella was remembering the time when she was younger, getting bullied and being isolated by others because of her powers. Her patience went to her limit as she accidentally summoned a monster and released it onto them)  
_ ** _Even if you desire everything, you don't need to grasp it all  
_** _(_ _Alex was remembering when he was accepted into Duel Academy and told the principal that he wished to start at the lowest rank, just to be bullied by those of a higher rank_ _)  
_ ** _Just keep a hold of one most important thing_** _  
(Kohaku placed her hands on their shoulders and snapped them out of the memory lane and smiled at them then pushed them to the rest of their friends)_

 ** _In the beginning of the sky, I welcome you  
_** ** _do not ever look back just look forward  
_** _(Judai had out Flame Wingman, who fought against Chronos' Antique Gear Golem and Asuka's Cyber Blader, as Kohaku had out Time Space Magician, who was going head-to-head against Alex's Light and Darkness Dragon and Bella's Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama)  
_ ** _If you feel the wind on your back  
_** ** _then there won't be anything to worry about_** _  
(Shou and his monsters were looking at his brother and his monsters with determination, who smirked in approval, causing the younger sibling to smile back)_

 ** _If you would look around, you'd see all these smiling faces  
_** _(In another realm, it showed all of Kohaku, Bella, Alex, Judai, Shou, Hayato, and Asuka's monsters smiling at the camera)  
_ ** _Do not carry everything by yourself  
_** _(Kohaku was looking at her late sister's deck in her hand with a solemn look, the deck's monster spirits floating right by her side)  
_ ** _Don't rush either, the answer is along the way  
_** _(The scene turned dark and the whole gang were running towards the light)  
_ ** _you'll definitely find it for sure_** _  
(They arrived at a lighthouse, looking up at the night sky)_

* * *

Continuing on from last chapter, Kohaku and her friends met up with her father and caught up to some things. After some time of catching up, they heard a commotion going on and found out Kagurazaka, a Ra Yellow student, stole Muto Yugi's deck. Kohaku then insisted on being his opponent for the deck but was pushed to a corner.

 **Kagurazaka: 4000 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 2200 LP**

 **Black Magician of Chaos: Level 8/DARK/Spellcaster/2800 ATK/2600 DEF**

 **Relic User Commander, Genjuro: Level 7/EARTH/Warrior/2700 ATK/1800 DEF**

"My turn!" Kohaku drew her next card, bringing her hand up to five.

' _Because of Black Magician of Chaos, I can't summon Hibiki back. But there's one card in my deck that can change that,_ ' she thought.

"I switch Genjuro to Defense Mode!" Her monster got down on one knee and crossed his arms. "I summon Shul Shagana Relic User, Shirabe in Defense Mode!" A young girl with black hair in pigtails wearing a school uniform appeared on her field.

 **Shul Shagana Relic User, Shirabe: Level 4/DARK/Warrior/1000 ATK/1700 DEF**

"Through her effect, I add Relic Weapon, Buzz Saw to my hand and equip it to her! Go for it, Shirabe!"

A pendant fell into the girl's hand. " _Fallian Shul Shagana tron._ " At the incantation, she changed into her white and pink combat clothes, with some kind of armor on her pigtails.

 **Shul Shagana Relic User, Shirabe: 1700 + 500 = 2200 DEF**

"So you raised your monster's DEF points. What's the point in that?" Kagurazaka asked.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Haven't you heard of an old saying? 'A magician never reveals her secrets,'" Kohaku simply said. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

"Then it's my turn. Draw!" Kagurazaka drew his next card. "I activate the magic card, Treasure Cards from the Heaven! Both players draw until they have six cards in their hand!" Both drew until they have six cards in their hand. "I activate Watapon's monster effect from my hand! When this card is added to my hand by a card effect, I can Special Summon him!" A cute little puffball with big blue eyes appeared on the field.

 **Watapon: Level 1/LIGHT/Fairy/200 ATK/300 DEF**

"Next, I release it to summon out Black Magician Girl from my hand!" The puffball glowed and formed a teenage girl with long blonde hair in blue revealing magician's clothes with a staff in hand. One certain duelist is happy to see the card in action.

 **Black Magician Girl: Level 6/DARK/Spellcaster/2000 ATK/1700 DEF**

"You know, I know I want Kohaku to win, but at the same time, I want to cheer for Black Magician Girl~!" said duelist swooned.

"Shou, get a grip!" Tiffany said.

"She's right! That's still a monster card!" Hayato shook the boy.

"But this is a once-in-a-life time chance! We might not get to see her again!" Shou suddenly shouted at them.

"You really like that card, don't you?" Seth nervously asekd.

"For every 'Black Magician' in either player's Graveyards, Black Magician Girl gains 300 ATK!" Said monster twirled her staff as her ATK points went up.

 **Black Magician Girl: 2000 + 300 = 2300 ATK**

"Black Magician of Chaos! Attack Genjuro! **Destruction Spell!** " The high-level Spellcaster-type monster shot out an energy ball at his opponent and destroyed him.

"Genjuro's monster effect activates! When he is destroyed, I can Special Summon a 'Relic User' monster from my deck, hand or Graveyard! I Special Summon Igalima Relic User, Kirika from my hand!" A blonde girl, seemingly a couple years younger than Hibiki, appeared on her field next to Shirabe, in Attack Mode.

 **Igalima Relic User, Kirika: Level 4/DARK/Warrior/1700 ATK/1000 DEF**

"Kiri-chan!" Shirabe happily called.

"Yaho! Shirabe!" Kirika happily called back. "Now then, if she called the two of us out here, it should mean~!"

"And with Kirika's effect, I add Relic Weapon Recovery from my deck to my hand!"

"However that does nothing for your or your monsters! Especially since you summoned your monster in Attack mode! Black Magician Girl! Attack Kirika!" The female Spellcaster-type raised her staff and charged an attack.

"That's exactly what I was waiting for!" Kohaku exclaimed, much to everyone's shock. "I activate my Continuous Trap Card, Edge Works of Goddess ZABABA! If both Shul Shagana Relic User, Shirabe and Igalima Relic User, Kirika are on the field, they both can share a Monster Zone!"

"What?!" Kagurazaka gasped.

"Two monsters in one Monster Zone?!" Misawa questioned.

"Is that even possible?!" Alex asked. It was proven possible, as Kirika went behind Shirabe, who changed her position into Attack Mode.

"Doing so, their ATK and DEF is combined! Also, if this card was activated while one of these two monsters battles an opponent's monster, the battle will continue from where it left off!" True to Kohaku's words, Shirabe went to battle Black Magician Girl in her partner's place.

 **Shirabe and Kirika: 1000 + 1700 = 2700 ATK/2200 + 1000 = 3200 DEF**

"I won't let you harm my friend!" Shirabe shouted.

"Get her, Shirabe! **Alpha Style 100 Rebirths!** " Hundreds of buzz saws were fired from the monster's compartments and destroyed Black Magician Girl, much to Shou's despair.

 **Kagurazaka: 3600 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 2200 LP**

"Good-bye, Black Magician Girl..." Shou said as he cried.

"Look at the bright side. At least Kohaku finally got some Life Points taken out of Kagurazaka," Tiffany pointed out.

"Still, to have a card that can allow two monsters in one Monster Zone... That kind of thing never happened before," Seth said.

"There's a good reason as to why that card exists," Kazato spoke. "Shul Shagana and Igalima are both said to be children of the Sumerian Gods, Zababa and Ningirsu, as well as weapons of the Mesopotamian War God Zababa. In other words, those two are practically inseparable. So it shouldn't be at all surprising for there to be a card that allows the two to be together as monsters."

"Nice shot, Shirabe!" Kirika cheered, giving her partner a thumbs up.

"It's because Kiri-chan is with me that it's possible to defeat someone like her!" Shirabe said.

"You're right! The two of us are unstoppable!"

While the two of them were having a nice conversation as best friends, Kohaku looked on with a sad look on her face, one that no one noticed, except one.

Kirika looked back at her duelist. "What's wrong, Kohaku?"

That snapped her out of her condition. "N-Nothing."

"I end my turn with one card face-down," her opponent ended.

"My turn. Draw!" Kohaku drew her seventh card. "I activate my face-down card! The Equip Magic, Relic Weapon, Scythe! And give it to its master, Kirika!"

A pendant fell into Kirika's hand. " _Seiwoss Igalima Lyzen Tron,_ " she chanted. After that chant, like all other female 'Relic User' monsters, she changed into her white and green combat clothes, as well as a dark green head-gear on her head.

 **Shirabe and Kirika: 2700 + 500 = 3200 ATK**

"An ATK of 3200!" Judai shouted.

"With this, Dark Magician of Chaos is destroyed!" Hayato cheered.

"Go for it, Kohaku!" Bella also cheered.

"Next, I summon Airgetlam Relic User, Serena!" A teenage girl younger than the two wearing a pink dress appeared on the field.

 **Airgetlam Relic User, Serena: Level 3/LIGHT/Warrior/1000 ATK/1000 DEF**

"I won't activate her effect to add a 'Relic Weapon' card to my hand. However, I will equip her with the Equip Magic, Relic Weapon, Whip Sword!"

A pendant appeared before the girl, in which she placed in her hands. " _Seilien coffin airgetlam tron._ " Serena transformed into her white and yellow combat clothes, giving her some kind of a fairy appearance.

 **Airgetlam Relic User, Serena: 1000 + 500 = 1500 ATK**

"I think I'm in a middle of a love triangle~" Shou said, now swooning over Kohaku's newly summoned monster.

"I think we should find a psychiatrist for you," Seth said, a bit weirded out by the Osiris student's actions.

"Battle! Shirabe! Kirika! Attack Black Magician of Chaos! **ZABABA Eclipse: Forbidden Wheel of Evil!** " Kohaku ordered.

"Right!" they both answered, as Shirabe's large buzz saws become a large monowheel vehicle and rode her way over to the monster. Black Magician of Chaos leapt over her to attack her friend. What he didn't expect was Kirika's shoulder armor to shoot out grappling chains, in which he did his best to avoid. Unexpectedly, Kirika then shot out a grappling chain from the front of her armor, which restrained him in his place. Kirika then enlarged her scythe into a guillotine. He heard something coming from the other side and turned to see Shirabe with the grappling chains he avoided connected to her arms as she charged in with her glowing buzz saw monowheel vehicle. Both sides charged in at the Spellcaster-type.

"Trap card open! Drain Shield! This negates an opponent's monster's attack and add the ATK points to my Life Points!" Kagurazaka attempted to defend.

"It's no use! Relic Weapon, Buzz Saw's second effect! During the Battle Phase, if my opponent activates a card or effect that negates an attack, that effect is negated and destroyed! Also, Relic Weapon, Scythe's second effect is that if a card effect is activated from my field, the Battle Damage Kirika will deal to the opponent is doubled!" Kohaku countered.

This surprised Kagurazaka, as a shield appeared to try and block the attack, only to be rammed through and Kirika's weapon's blade began to glow. Their attacks collided and destroyed the powerful monster.

 **Kagurazaka: 2800 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 2200 LP**

"Serena! It's your turn! Attack the player directly! **Angelic Feathers!** "

"Understood!" Serena obliged as her fairy wings suddenly grew feathers. She shot them out at Kagurazaka and dealt a great deal of damage to him.

 **Kagurazaka: 1300 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 2200 LP**

"All right! She took down Black Magician of Chaos!" Tiffany cheered.

"Just one more move and it's over!" Judai also cheered.

"Why you... I admit you are a formidable opponent. However, my deck never failed me once before! My turn!" Kagurazaka drew his next card. He smirked at the sight. "Now you will see the true power of my deck!" Kohaku's eyebrow twitched when she heard that. "I activate the Ritual Magic, Chaos Ritual! By sending Monsters from my hand or field whose total Level equals to eight or more, I can Ritual Summon Chaos Soldier from my hand!" A cauldron appeared as two Warrior-type monsters appeared and leaped into it. The inside of the cauldron then exploded and a blue and yellow armored knight appeared on his field.

 **Chaos Soldier: Level 8/EARTH/Warrior/3000 ATK/2500 DEF**

"C-Chaos Soldier?!" Shou gasped.

"One of the most powerful Ritual Monsters to exist!" Seth said in shock.

"B-But even so, Chaos Soldier doesn't have an effect! So Kohaku doesn't have to worry about it," Hayato pointed out.

"I wonder about that," Kagurazaka said, still smirking. "There's something you should know about the two monsters I used to summon him. First of is Evening Twilight Knight! If he is used to Ritual Summon a 'Chaos Soldier' Ritual Monster, that monster gains these two effects! First, I am able to banish one monster my opponent controls! And one of those monster would be Shirabe and Kirika!" A spirit of the white knight used to summon the Ritual Monster appeared and charged at the two girls.

"Although the Continuous Trap, Edge Works of Goddess ZABABA combines Shirabe and Kirika's power and have them share one Monster Zone, for card effects that targets one monster, those effects doesn't target both of them!" Kohaku corrected.

"In that case, let's say good bye to that scythe-wielder!" The white knight spirit took Kirika away.

"Kiri-chan!" Shirabe called, reaching out to her friend.

"Shirabe!" Kirika called back, also reaching out to her before fading from existence.

 **Shul Shagana Relic User, Shirabe: 3200 - 2200 = 1000 ATK**

"Because one of the two monsters left the field, Edge Work of Goddess ZABABA is destroyed and the remaining monster is switched back to the position she was in before this card's activation," Kohaku said. She looked at the pigtailed Warrior-type monster with a worried look on her face.

Shirabe clenched her fists and looked back at Kagurazaka and Chaos Soldier. "Why you... How dare you do that to Kiri-chan!"

"Calm down, Shirabe-chan," Serena tried to calm her.

Of course, since it was a duel monster talking, and Kagurazaka wasn't a psychic duelist, he didn't know that Shirabe was glaring at him. "Also, I get to banish one card from my opponent's hand! I choose the middle card!" The 'Relic' duelist gritted her teeth and pocketed the card. "You'll get it back during the End Phase, but that won't be possible! The other monster I used to summon Chaos Soldier is Beginning Knight! Like Evening Twilight Knight, I am able to banish one monster my opponent controls!" Kohaku and her friends and father gasped at what was just said.

"He can banish three cards!?" Alex questioned.

"Of course, I'll get rid of your Shirabe!" A red-head knight in an armor quite similar to Chaos Soldier aeared and took Shirabe away as well.

"Shirabe-chan!" Serena called.

"Damn it!" was she could say before disappearing.

"And then there was one... Chaos Soldier! Attack Serena! **Chaos Blade!** " The Ritual Monster raised his sword and swung it down, killing the young girl.

 **Kagurazaka: 1300 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 700 LP**

"Serena's monster effect! When destroyed while equipped with Relic Weapon, Whip Sword, I can Special Summon her sister from my hand, deck or Graveyard and equip cards that were equipped to her to her sister! Come, please! Maria!"

An older version of Serena appeared on her field as the pendant fell right into her hand. " _Seilien coffin airgetlam tron._ " One would assume her combat clothes would be just like Serena's, except that her combat clothes were similar to the other female 'Relic User' monsters, only it was white and silver and she had a left gauntlet and shoulder armor.

 **Airgetlam Relic User, Maria: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/1400 + 500 = 1900 ATK/1000 DEF**

"I won't forgive you... For what you did to my sister!" Maria shouted.

"You are such a fool for summoning her in Attack Mode!" the male dueling Ra claimed. "The other effect that was given to Chaos Soldier from Beginning Knight is that if it destroys a monster by battle, it can make a second attack!" Everyone at the sidelines widened their eyes in shock. "Finish this, Chaos Soldier! **Chaos Blade of The End!** " Chaos Soldier raised his sword once more and charged at Maria.

"Kohaku!" Kazato and Kohaku's friends called in worry.

"From my Graveyard, I activate Relic User Protector, Ogawa's effect!"

"A card effect from the Graveyard?!" Kagurazaka gasped.

"If my opponent declares an attack that would bring my Life Points to zero, I can banish this card and negate that attack!" As Kohaku took out the card from her Graveyard and pocketed it, an agent appeared and took the attack for Maria.

"Ogawa-san!" Maria shouted, as he then disappeared.

"We will avenge him, Maria. I promise," her duelist whispered.

"In that case I will end my turn. At this time, you can add the card that was banished from your hand back to your hand," Kagurazaka ended.

Those in the sidelines sighed in relief.

"She survived that attack..." Seth said.

"I thought she was going to lose," Bella added.

"But she still has one turn now! And if she doesn't turn it around then maybe when her next turn comes-"

"There might not be a next turn," Alex interrupted Tiffany.

"What do you mean, Alex?" Judai asked.

"He meant what if those effects weren't once-only effects," Misawa explained. "If Kagurazaka uses those effects during his turn, Kohaku might lose."

They all gasped and looked at the former performer with worried looks.

"My turn." Kohaku was about to draw her card.

"Just give up already," Kagurazaka said. "Just face it. You cannot beat me! No one has ever beaten my deck before! All my cards have always been with me since the day this deck was made! And since then, no one has ever defeated me!"

"Now he sounds like a cocky duelist," Hayato muttered.

"And he's acting like that deck was his to begin with," Shou added.

"Save the embarrassment and forfeit already! Then again, for you to last this long, you should rather be elated to have come this far in a duel against me!" the copycat of a duelist cotinued.

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Kohaku finally snapped. Everyone looked at her in shock. "Stop acting like you own that deck for as long as you can remember! Stop acting like it was your's to begin with! Tell me something, throughout this whole duel, did it ever occur to you why I am using my sister's deck instead of my own?!" Everyone was silent at that question. "It was to show you the difference between us! Not in our research with the decks we're using that we never or rarely used, but in our respect to the deck we are using! Since the beginning of this duel, I feel and see no respect you're giving to the deck and to whom it really belongs to! You duel as though you are the true owner of that deck, which is a disgrace to all true duelists! As for me, I am dueling my sister's deck using my style of dueling! Granted it doesn't match how she would duel with it, but at least I am giving my respect to her and this deck by not acting like her as I duel! Giving my respect to the deck's true owner is the sign of a true duelist and the sign of a strong bond between a duelist and their deck!"

Everyone stayed silent at that speech, mostly in awe and touched by her words.

"Now let me show you... How far my respect gets me! My turn!" Kohaku prepared herself to draw her next card. Before she drew, she took a nice deep breath. " _Hola~! Bonjour~! Hello everybody!_ " Her friends and father tensed in excitement at her words. "At long last, we've reached the climax of today's duel! Who exactly will triumph this battle?! The King of Games' deck or the 'Relic' deck?! Please feast your eyes on the upcoming performance! _Let's go!_ Draw!" She looked at the card she drew. "Now then, how about we do a little magic trick? I activate the Magic Card, Solomon's Cane! By continuously paying half my Life Points, I am able to Special Summon 'Relic User' monsters from my Graveyard and my Banish Zone!"

"What did you say?!" Kagurazaka shouted.

"A magic card that allows a Special Summon from both the Graveyard and the Banish Zone?!" Judai followed.

"No way!" the other Reds shouted.

"First coming back is Hibiki!" The dirty blonde girl appeared back on the field.

 **Kagurazaka: 1300 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 350 LP**

"Next is Shirabe and Kirika!" The two besties returned to the field as well.

 **Kagurazaka: 1300 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 87 LP**

"One more! Tsubasa!" The bluenette female also returned to the field.

 **Kagurazaka: 1300 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 43 LP**

"Her Life Points are so low!" Seth exclaimed.

"What a risky card! She's basically betting everything on this turn!" Misawa stated.

"But why use that card?" Bella questioned.

"Take a good look at her field," Kazato told her. "What do you see?" Bella looked and seemed to have caught on to Kohaku's plan.

"And now _it's time for the Grand Finale_! I activate my Magic Card, Swan's Song! Since my Life Points are below 1000, all of my 'Relic User' monsters have their ATK points doubled! But instead, since Hibiki is on the field, all of her friends' powers will transfer over to her!"

The five girls looked at each other and nodded, holding each other's hands.

 _"Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal_  
 _Emustolronzen fine el balal zillz_  
 _Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal_  
 _Emustolronzen fine el zillz~"_

As soon as they finished singing the song, they glowed a bright, rainbow color. The color was then transferred to Hibiki.

 **Gungnir Relic User, Hibiki: 1300 x 2 + 1900 x 2 + 1000 x 2 + 1700 x 2 + 1400 x 2 = 2600 + 3800 + 2000 + 3400 + 2800 = 6400 + 5400 + 2800 = 14600 ATK**

Seeing how high the power was shocked everyone to no extent. In fact, Judai fainted from the sight of the power and Shou may have peed his pants.

"O-... O-... Over 10000?!" Kagurazaka let out.

"Now have a taste of it... A duel filled with respect and belief! _It's showtime!_ Go, Hibiki! **Swan Song Penta Buster!** "

Hibiki let out a war cry as she, somehow transformed in her battle clothes, rushed at Chaos Soldier with her fist pulled back. She landed a punch, one that decided the duel.

 **Kagurazaka: 0000 LP**  
 **Kohaku: 43 LP**

 **WINNER: KOHAKU!**

"I can't believe it... I lost!" Kagurazaka slumped on his knees. "I couldn't win, even with this powerful deck? It looks like... I really have no talent!"

"No, it's not like that," came a voice. Everyone turned and saw Ryo and Asuka approaching them.

"Kaiser/Onii-san!" Kagurazaka and Shou called.

"Asuka! Why are you here?" Judai askedasked, suddenly on his feet.

"What's with all these fast recoveries?" Alex asked Bella.

"I don't know," she answered.

"We also wanted to see the deck before everyone else," Ryo answered.

"We went to the display hall, but the case was broken and the deck vanished. And while we were looking for it, we ended up finding you guys," Asuka explained.

"We thought of stopping you, but stopping the duel would be regretful," the Kaiser added on.

"That's true," Misawa agreed.

"Not only that. We weren't the only ones watching." Ryo and Asuka looked behind them. Everyone else did the same and saw that practically all the students watched the duel.

"It's true!" Tiffany exclaimed.

"Well, it was an amazing duel!" a Ra said.

"You showed us a bunch of good stuff! We learned a bunch!" said another.

Kagurazaka was slightly touched by the praise.

"As Kohaku said during the duel, taking someone's deck as your own is an unforgivable offense. However, it's a fact that everyone wanted to see the Muto Yugi's deck in action at its full power. I'm sure we all can let this slide," Ryo said.

"I can't believe he mastered the King of Games' deck!" Ra 1 shouted.

"That was awesome, Kagurazaka!" Ra 2 praised.

"But I still lost... Why?" the copycat duelist questioned.

"I thought I made it clear, why you lost," Kohaku said. "It's because you're acting like someone you're not. You think you can just master the cards and win every game? That's not how a true duelist duel. A true duelist would make a deck that defines herself in every way, shape and form. If the deck is a borrowed deck, that's a different story. Kagurazaka, you still have a chance and time to make a deck of your own. A deck that signifies you and no one else."

"Spoken like a real duelist," Ryo complimented.

"Now then, as promised, you'll be returning that deck, right?" Kagurazaka nodded at her question.

* * *

The next day, Yugi's deck was back in its spot and everyone who had the tickets for the display went to see it. Well, some people gave their tickets to those who doesn't have, being pleased with seeing it in a duel. Kohaku was one of those people who didn't go, as she just lied on her bed in her purple pajamas.

"She's been like this for quite a while now..." Kirika said in a worried tone.

"What's wrong with her?" Chris wondered.

"She hasn't eaten anything either," Hibiki added.

"I think I know why," Maria spoke.

"As do I," Time Space Magician followed.

Before anyone could ask why Kohaku was acting like this, a knock was heard by her door.

"It's open," Kohaku said.

The door opened, revealing it to be Alex. He had a frown on his face as he entered the room, closing the door behind him.

"I thought you'd be going to that showing," Kohaku said.

"I should say the same to you," he said back. He then sat on her bed.

"Why are you here?"

"Just came to check on you."

"Well, now you know I'm okay. Just look." She put on a fake smile on her face. While it might be able to fool most people, Alex already knew she's faking it. He pulled her close to him. "Alex?"

"You can cry, you know. I won't judge," he simply said.

"What are you talking about? I'm not-"

"You think I didn't notice? During your duel with Kagurazaka, I saw... I saw you crying as you watched how close some of your monsters are with each other. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you miss her. Your sister. So much, it's eating you up inside." He was hitting nail after nail on the head, as Kohaku was slowly losing her composure, tears threatening to form in her eyes.

Drowned in sadness, Kohaku hugged Alex and cried on his shoulder. "I just miss her so much... I know I should be over it by now... But it's too hard to get over..."

Alex just comforted her, rubbing her back gently as she continued to cry over her sister.

After some time of crying, Kohaku seemed to have calmed down at last and separated from Alex.

"Thanks for the comfort, Alex," she thanked.

"It was nothing," he assured. "After all, we're friends, aren't we?"

Kohaku smiled at those words. "Yeah... We are..."

"So, how about lunch? I heard there's spaghetti today."

"I'm all for that idea! Just let me change first!" Alex nodded and left the room, as Kohaku got into her uniform. After that, they went to get their lunch.


	20. Taking Back What's Stolen

**Coral: Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!  
**

 **Aki: What's wrong with you?**

 **Coral: I just can't wait for the next episode of Arc V to be up~!**

 **Aki: Why?**

 **Coral: Because Asuka is going to be in it! She is one of my favorite characters in the Yugioh series! And by the looks of it, she is on the good side! Oh I can't wait for next week~!**

 **Aki: Okay, calm down there.**

 **Coral: Okay~ Anyway, I do not own any Yugioh. The only OCs I own would be Kohaku, her father and her sister. The decks they own are also my doings. Every other OCs and their decks goes to their own creators.**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 ** _*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*_**

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

 _ ***OPENING***_

 ** _(Instrumental)_** _(_ _The scene begins with a nice top view of the island_ _)_

 ** _To the beginning sky... towards the shining light  
_** _(The camera looks up to the sky, having a nice view of it and the sun as the anime logo slowly appeared)  
_ ** _There's nothing to fear... because I'm here..._** _  
(Freakstar Dragon with Naruto on his back and Time Space Magician flew pass the logo the Spellcaster-type shined the crystal ball on his staff, changing the scene)_

 ** _Falling countless times to your knees_** _  
_ ** _Not protecting your own pride  
_** _(Kohaku slipped on a banana peel and was laughed at by many students. She laughed along with them)  
_ ** _Only coming up with just doubts_** _  
_ ** _Do not close your eyes just yet  
_** _(Alex and Bella looked at the scene in slight envy at how she was, in a way, getting along with many others despite her being in Red and daughter of a famous circus' ringmaster and walked their separate ways)_

 ** _I absolutely cannot see  
_** ** _the possibility that's here and now  
_** _(Judai was imagining himself as the next King of Games. Manjoume and his friends along with Chronos glared at how impossible it would be for him while Misawa, Shou and Hayato looked at him with interest or slight admiration)  
_ ** _When these tears turn into rain  
_** ** _I just want you to notice_** _  
(Asuka and Ryou were at the entrance of the Abandon Dorm and stared at a picture of the latter's brother with determination)_

 ** _Spit out all the vexing things  
_** ** _Because there's a meaning for taking things  
_** _(Bella was remembering the time when she was younger, getting bullied and being isolated by others because of her powers. Her patience went to her limit as she accidentally summoned a monster and released it onto them)  
_ ** _Even if you desire everything, you don't need to grasp it all  
_** _(_ _Alex was remembering when he was accepted into Duel Academy and told the principal that he wished to start at the lowest rank, just to be bullied by those of a higher rank_ _)  
_ ** _Just keep a hold of one most important thing_** _  
(Kohaku placed her hands on their shoulders and snapped them out of the memory lane and smiled at them then pushed them to the rest of their friends)_

 ** _In the beginning of the sky, I welcome you  
_** ** _do not ever look back just look forward  
_** _(Judai had out Flame Wingman, who fought against Chronos' Antique Gear Golem and Asuka's Cyber Blader, as Kohaku had out Time Space Magician, who was going head-to-head against Alex's Light and Darkness Dragon and Bella's Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama)  
_ ** _If you feel the wind on your back  
_** ** _then there won't be anything to worry about_** _  
(Shou and his monsters were looking at his brother and his monsters with determination, who smirked in approval, causing the younger sibling to smile back)_

 ** _If you would look around, you'd see all these smiling faces  
_** _(In another realm, it showed all of Kohaku, Bella, Alex, Judai, Shou, Hayato, and Asuka's monsters smiling at the camera)  
_ ** _Do not carry everything by yourself  
_** _(Kohaku was looking at her late sister's deck in her hand with a solemn look, the deck's monster spirits floating right by her side)  
_ ** _Don't rush either, the answer is along the way  
_** _(The scene turned dark and the whole gang were running towards the light)  
_ ** _you'll definitely find it for sure_** _  
(They arrived at a lighthouse, looking up at the night sky)_

* * *

It was a nice afternoon and days since the presentation of Yugi's deck. Everything was normal by far. But like most days, that time of normal had to end somewhere.

 **Kohaku: 3200 LP  
Judai: 0000 LP**

 **WINNER: KOHAKU**

"Oh man! I lost again!" Judai complained.

"Hahah! You'll never beat a performer, Judai!" Kohaku said.

"I will one day!"

"The day that will come, will be the day after I beat her," Alex said.

"Oh? Is that a challenge I hear?" Kohaku got in his face.

"Isn't that obvious?"

The two got into their dueling spot. "DUEL!"

"And here it goes again with them," Bella sighed.

"It's become a routine, hasn't it?" Tiffany asked.

"100 Duel Points that this will end in a 'draw'," Seth betted.

"Not involved," the girls said.

"I'll take that bet!" Judai accepted. "Good luck, Kohaku!"

"Traitor!" Alex shouted, taking his turn.

Unknown to the group, they were being watched by an Obelisk Blue student. He was glaring at them, especially one duelist in particular.

"I refuse to accept that those cards belongs to you," he muttered.

* * *

Later that day, both Kohaku and Bella were on their way to the Obelisk dorms for a sleepover. The two got permission from their headmasters to do so, especially since it wasn't a school night. Not far from them was a sneaky Obelisk male.

Once they arrived at the dorm, the male student managed to keep hidden from all sight, especially since it was dark out. He saw them exit the academy with a basket of shampoo and soap.

"Do you really need to bring your deck and disk though?" Bella asked Kohaku.

"You're one to talk. You have your's on you too," she said back. The two giggled and made their way to the baths, their stalker following them.

While they were bathing, their stuff in a locker, the stalker opened one of their lockers and took something from it, before closing it and sneaking away.

* * *

The next day, Kohaku and the gang asked everyone around if they found a deck or some cards laying around. Or at least someone with cards that didn't belong to them. All they got, by far, were negative answers.

"WHERE ARE THEY?!" Kohaku shouted to the skies.

"Calm down. We'll find them," Bella said.

The formererformer turned to her. "How could you say that?!"

"Hey, Bella's right. We'll find those cards," Alex assured.

"Hey! Guys!" Seth called. They turned and saw him and Tiffany running to them.

"We found him! We found the person who stole your deck!" the former idol shouted.

* * *

 ** _*MEANWHILE*_**

"Attack directly!"

 **Deck Stealer: 3500 LP  
** **Opponent: 0000 LP**

 **WINNER: DECK STEALER!**

"I win! Now for what we bet on! Give me your deck!" He didn't wait for an answer and just yanked the deck out of his defeated opponent's duel disk.

"It's not fair!" the defeated, an Osiris, claimed. "You only beat me because you're using her deck! That deck wasn't yours to begin with!"

"That's where you're mistaken. This deck is clearly for me! Someone like her is not worthy of this deck! Or do you want another go? This time for your deck going to the water!"

"What?! You can't do that!"

"I just did."

"Hey!" Both duelists turned to the one who called and saw Kohaku, Bella, Alex, Seth and Tiffany standing not far from them, glaring at the jerk of a duelist.

"What do you want?" said jerk asked.

"What else?! Give back what you stole, Octavio!" Kohaku demanded.

"No. This deck isn't made for people like you. A true duelist is allowed to hold a deck like this one," Octavio insisted.

"Then I guess you're not a true duelist, if you went as low as to steal someone else's," Alex said.

"This isn't stealing; it's liberating."

"No it isn't! It's only called 'liberating' if you're saving it from a bad duelist!" Bella said.

"And people like you are bad duelists." He pointed at Bella. "You for being a monster." To Kohaku. "You for not taking duels seriously." To Alex. "You for not taking advantage of your reputation." To Seth. "You for sneaking your way in." To Tiffany. "And you for thinking it's as easy as being an idol."

They all glared at him at the accusations.

"You have no right whatsoever to accuse us as so!" the youngest of the five exclaimed.

"Well then, if the owner of this deck wants it back, then she'll have to duel me for it. Oh but wait, she only has this deck!" Octavio mocked.

"That's what you think!" Kohaku glared.

Bella put an arm out in front of her, causing her to stay in her spot. "All right then. It's a deal." The group looked at Bella in slight shock.

"Then come at me." He activated his duel disk.

The true owner of the deck he was using, much to his surprise, took out another deck and inserted it in the deck slot.

"You have another deck?!"

"Enough talk! Now let's-!"

"DUEL!"

 **Octavio 4000 LP  
** **Bella: 4000 LP (Ha! You all thought it was Kohaku, didn't you!)**

"I start first! Draw!" Bella drew her sixth card. "I summon Straw Hat Pirate, Luffy in Attack Mode!" A teenage boy wearing a red vest, short jeans, sandals and a straw hat appeared on the field.

 **Straw Hat Pirate, Luffy: Level 4/FIRE/Warrior/1800 ATK/2100 DEF**

"Yosh! Come at me!" he challenged.

"I set two cards face-down and end my turn!"

"That's it? That's all that deck of yours can do?" Octavio asked. "This is going to be too easy! My turn! Draw!" He drew his sixth card. "I summon Konohagakure Shinobi Team Guy, Rock Lee!" Sasuke appeared on his field, eyes dull.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team Guy, Rock Lee: Level 4/EARTH/Warrior/2100 ATK/1600 DEF**

"Now I attack with Rock Lee! And when Rock Lee attacks, my opponent cannot activate card or effects!" Rock Lee charged at Luffy and delivered a powerful kick to the head. To everyone's surprise, the latter's hear was sent flying, but was still attached to the neck as it was actually stretching quite far back.

"Huh?!" they questioned.

 **Octavio 4000 LP  
** **Bella: 3700 LP**

"What?! Why isn't your monster destroyed?!" the male Obelisk asked.

"Simple. Luffy cannot be destroyed by battle," the female Obelisk answered. "Now do you end your turn?"

"It was a nice try though," the apparent rubber boy said with a grin.

He gritted his teeth. "I end with two cards face-down."

"My turn! Draw!" Bella drew her next card. "I activate the Equip Magic, Second Gear! This card can only be equipped to Luffy! With this, his attack is increased by 1000!" Luffy got into a squatting position and placed a fist on the ground. He pumped his legs a few times and got red and steamy.

 **Straw Hat Pirate, Luffy: 1800 + 1000 = 2800 ATK**

"Next I summon his friend, Straw Hat Pirate, Zoro!" A guy with green hair hiddened by his dark green bandana appeared on the field.

 **Straw Hat Pirate, Zoro: Level 4/WIND/Warrior/2000 ATK/1200 DEF**

"Hey there, Zoro!" Luffy greeted.

"Ho? Looks like we're going up against those ninjas. This is great. I want payback for what that little blondie did the other day," the guy said.

Bella, Kohaku and Alex sweat dropped at what he said.

"Anyway... Battle! I attack Rock Lee with Luffy!" Bella declared.

Luffy suddenly got right at Rock Lee's face. " **Gomu Gomu no Jet Pistol**!" He then gave a hard punch to his face. It was impossible to see, but he definitely punched the ninja and sent him flying.

 **Octavio 3300 LP  
** **Bella: 3700 LP**

"I activate the Trap Card, Call of the Living Dead! With it I Special Summon Rock Lee back to my field!" Said ninja came back from the dead.

"I am still going to attack with Zoro!" Bella declared, much to her friends' shock and Lctavio's amusement.

"You're such an idiot! That guy's ATK is so low compared to my monster!" he mocked.

"Who said I'm attacking Rock Lee? Zoro is able to attack directly. Doing so, however, the Battle Damage inflicted this day is halved."

Now to her opponent's shock, Zoro took out all three of his swords and placed one in his mouth. He held the two swords horizontally above his shoulders. " **Santouryu: Hyakuhachi Pound Ho**!" He swung them down, launching a powerful compressed air projectile at Octavio.

 **Octavio 2300 LP  
** **Bella: 3700 LP**

"Damn it... You'll pay for that, you monster!"

"Hey, it's not like you got hurt from that attack. Thanks to Kohaku's training," Bella defended.

"Shut up! After I'm done with you, I'm taking your deck as well as your friends'! You people have no right to become duelists!" Hearing those words made Bella and the bystanders really angry. "My turn! Draw!" Octavio drew his next card. He smirked at the sight of it. "I summon Konohahakure Shinobi Team 7, Naruto!" The usual energetic ninja appeared on his field, only to have dull eyes like Rock Lee and act not so energetic.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Naruto: Level 4/WIND/Warrior/1400 ATK/800 DEF**

"Then I activate Tailed-Beast Changer and have this weak ninja become the monster it truly is! Come forth, Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama!" Naruto changed into the nine tailed fox monster.

 **Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama: Level 9/FIRE/Beast/3000 ATK/3000 DEF**

"Now I attack Zoro with Kurama! And while it does that, I activate the Instant Magic, Duel Fusion - Battle Fusion! This card can only be activated if a monster I control battles an opponent's monster! My monster's ATK increases by the ATK of the opponent's monster! Also, I activate the Instant Magic, Giant Shadow of Egoism! This gives Kurama 1000 more ATK!" Kurama's body was covered in a red aura as his power increased, a lot.

 **Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama: 3000 + 2000 + 1000 = 6000 ATK**

"I activate my trap card, Half Unbreak! A monster I control won't be destroyed by battle and any battle damage I take from attacks involving it is halved!" A bubble barrier appeared and defended Zoro from the Fusion Monster's attack.

 **Octavio 2300 LP  
** **Bella: 1700 LP**

"Thanks for the support," the swordsman thanked.

"However, I can still attack with Rock Lee!" Octavio declared, as the ninja went and landed a kick on the barrier.

 **Octavio 2300 LP  
** **Bella: 1650 LP**

"I end my turn. And Kurama's ATK returns to normal."

 **Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama: 6000 - 3000 = 3000 ATK**

"My turn. Draw!" Bella drew her next card. "All right. I summon Straw Hat Pirate, Sanji!" A blonde man with curly eyebrows appeared on her field.

 **Straw Hat Pirate, Sanji: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/2100 ATK/1500 DEF**

"Why did you bring him out?" Zoro questioned. "We don't need curly-eyebrows with us."

The newly summoned pirate got to his face. "Did you say something, marimo?"

"You got a problem hearing, deaf cook?!"

Before the two could get into a brawl, Bella continued with her turn. "Next I activate the Magic Card, Monster Tri-Attack! This card can only be activated if I have Luffy, Zoro and Sanji on the field! All my opponent's monsters are destroyed and, for each the destroyed monsters' level, my opponent loses 100 points of damage!"

Octavio gasped as the three pirates attacked and destroyed Rock Lee and Kurama, as well as dealing some damage to the male duelist.

 **Octavio 1000 LP  
** **Bella: 1650 LP**

"Using this card, none of the three monsters can attack. I end my turn!"

Octavio growled at Bella. "My turn!" He drew his next card and smirked at the mere sight of it. "Now I summon Takigakure Shinobi, Fu!" A tan-skinned girl with light blue hair appeared on the field.

 **Takigakure Shinobi, Fu: Level 4/WIND/Warrior/1700 ATK/1700 DEF**

"Then from my Graveyard, I activate Tailed-Beast Changer's effect! By banishing it from my Graveyard, I am able to banish a monster I control or in my graveyard whose name is in the next of the monster that can be summoned by this card. I banish Fu and summon out the beast in it! Or should I say insect?!" The new ninja crouched down as she felt something inside of her wanting to be released. "I banish this card and Fu to summon out Seven-Tailed Beetle, Chomei!" A rhinoceros beetle with six wings and a tail appeared from her.

 **Seven-Tailed Beetle, Chomei: Level 7/WIND/Insect/2700 ATK/2000 DEF**

"Then I activate my face-down card, Life-Shaving Treasured Cards! This allows me to draw until I have five cards in my hand!" He drew his cards. "Then I use Chomei's effect to discard a number or cards in my hand equal to or less than the amount of monsters my opponent controls. For each card discarded, a Dust Counter is placed on their monster!" As Octavio discarded three cards from his hand, Chomei shot out three rounds of powder from its mouth, covering the three pirates in them.

"What are these stuff?!" Luffy asked, as his skin was returning to its normal color.

"M-my strength..." Zoro spoke.

"I'm losing them..." Sanji followed, as the three got to their knees.

"Monsters with Dust Counters loses half their ATK," the male Obelisk added on.

 **Straw Hat Pirate, Luffy: 2800 / 2 = 1400 ATK**

 **Straw Hat Pirate, Zoro: 2000 / 2 = 1000 ATK**

 **Straw Hat Pirate, Sanji: 2100 / 2 = 1050 ATK**

"And I will use Chomei's other effect. By discarding one card from my hand, I can destroy one Magic or Trap card my opponent controls!" Octavio discarded another card and Chomei sent a horde of insects over to devour Bella's remaining face-down.

"Bella's card!" Seth gasped.

"Not good!" Tiffany said.

"Now you're as good as dead! And I am going to get your deck as a trophy! After that, I'll duel your friends and get their decks as well!" They gave him harder glares than before. "Battle! I attack Zoro with Chomei!" The Insect-Type monster charged at the Warrior-Type.

"Bella/Look out!" Kohaku and Alex shouted.

"From my Graveyard, I activate the Magic Card you just destroyed, Unpredictable Weather! When my opponent declares an attack while this card is in my Graveyard, I can banish this card and pay half my Life Points to call a card type. Then I reveal the top card of my deck! If the card is the same as the one I called, the attack is negated and I add that card to my hand! Otherwise, I send the card to the graveyard and the attack will go through," she intervened.

 **Octavio 1000 LP  
** **Bella: 825 LP**

"So you're betting? I doubt you will call right," Octavio said.

She placed her hand on her deck. "You don't know that." Everything was silent from there. On the sidelines, everyone was hoping for her to call right. "I choose... Monster card!" She drew her next card and revealed it for everyone to see.

"It came!" her friends cheered.

"What?!" her opponent gasped.

"Monster card, Straw Hat Pirate, Chopper! Your attack is stopped!" Another barrier appeared and protected Zoro from the Fusion Monster's move.

Octavio gritted his teeth at Bella's luck. "I end my turn with one card face down."

"My turn. Draw!" Bella drew her next card. "I summon Straw Hat Pirate, Chopper!" A small tanuki-like creature with a pink hat with antlers on them appeared on her field.

 **Straw Hat Pirate, Chopper: Level 4/LIGHT/Beast/500 ATK/500 DEF**

"Awww~! How cute!" Tiffany commented.

Chopper heard the comment and did a silly little dance. "I-Idiot! Calling me cute doesn't make me happy~! You dummy~!"

"Oh! That's cuter!"

"Hah! You think a pipsqueak can change things?! You're completely delusional!" the male Obelisk insulted.

"I don't think; I know. Especially once I activate this card. I activate the Continuous Magic, Rumble Ball! This card can only be activated if Choper is on the field! Through it, once per turn, a dice is rolled! Depending on the number it lands on, an effect is activated!" A dice appeared and was spinning wildly in place.

"So she has some chance of getting something good," Alex said.

"Let's hope that something good can help her win," Kohaku said.

A couple seconds later, the dice came to a sudden stop, revealing the number 1.

"Yes! It landed on a one!" Bella cheered. "Since it landed on one, this turn, Chopper's ATK becomes 1000!"

A pill of some kind appeared in front of the small pirate as he went and ate it whole. The next thing anyone knew, he got a lot taller and his form became more human.

 **Straw Hat Pirate, Chopper: 500 -} 1000 ATK**

"And what good does that do? It won't beat my monster!" Octavio laughed.

"Who said I have to beat it? The only thing I have to do is defeat you! And if I can't do that by beating Chomei, I'll just have to go around it!"

"And it's a good thing this form was chosen!" Chopper added, not that half the people would hear him.

"During the Battle Phase, Chopper can attack directly while he's in this form!" Everyone looked shocked or relieved at the mention of this. "Battle! Go Chopper! Attack the player directly! **Kokutei Jump Kick**!" The shape shifting tanuki jumped over the Fusion Monster and went to attack Octavio.

"Trap card open! Magic Cylinder! Your attack is sent back at you and this duel is my win!" he instantly declared.

"Is that a fact?" Octavio tensed at her question. "I see to recall that in Jumping Point, Chopper won't be affected by card effects until the end of the Damage Step." True to her words, the Beast-Type broke the two cylinders and continued on with his attack. The attack hits Octavio in the gut and the duel had ended.

 **Octavio 0000 LP  
** **Bella: 825 LP**

 **WINNER: BELLA!**

"She did it!" Bella's friends cheered.

"That's not possible!" the defeated duelist shouted. "How?! How could you have defeated me?!"

"Isn't that obvious? It's because you took a deck that wasn't yours to begin with," Seth reasoned.

"Don't speak such idiotic nonsense!" Or tried to. "I know these cards are perfect for me! Their effects, the strategies! This is the deck that is to define me and yet!"

"Is that so?" a voice nearby asked. They looked to the source and saw Kazato leaning against a tree.

"Dad! When did you-?"

"Since the beginning of this duel," he answered his daughter. "Octavio, just because someone has a deck you like doesn't make that deck your soul mate or anything like that. These kids spent their time organizing and creating a deck that defines themselves. But you! You just stole a deck that someone has always had since childhood! You, boy, are no duelist. I may not be your teacher yet, but that doesn't mean I can't start acting like one now." Kazato took Octavio by the arm and took the duel disk off his person. "You are coming with me to the principal's office! And after that, we will give everyone back the decks and cards you took!" Without another word, he dragged the moping Octavio to the headmaster's office.

"Serves him right," Seth said.

"After everything he said about us, he should be expelled," Tiffany said. "He's even worse than Kagurazaka."

Everyone nodded in agreement, considering said Ra only copies other people's decks, not steal them.

"As for me, I need to order a lock," Bella said. "This is the second time someone took something of mine while I was bathing."

"Either you need a lock or the female dormitory's bathhouse needs better security," Kohaku stated.

"Well, whatever the case, let's just hope nothing crazy happens for another week. I mean, seriously. We do not need a non-stop crazy routine here," Alex said.

Everyone else just laughed at his words, despite how true they were.

"My god, these guys," Chris sighed, as she and the other duel monster spirits looked down at their owners below them.

"Well, what can we do about them? This is who they are," Lightpulsar Dragon said.

"Huh? What happened to me?" Naruto asked, rubbing the back of his head.

"Don't worry about it," Time Space Magician simply told him.

"By the way, Bella," Kohaku began. She and everyone else got to Bella's face. "WHY DID YOU SAY NOTHING ABOUT HAVING DIFFERENT DECKS?!"

"H-huh?!" the poor girl asked.

"You heard me! Why didn't you tell us you can use two decks like me?!"

"I-It never came up. Besides I actually have more than two decks."

"EHHHHH?!" they gasped even louder.

"No way! Are you serious?!" Seth asked next.

"Oh! I definitely want to go against all of them! Right here! Right now! Just for the thrill of doing different performances!" Kohaku declared, taking out her duel disk and inserting one of her two decks in it.

Seeing that there was no point in talking her out of it, Bella accepted the challenge and everyone else stepped back.

"DUEL!"


	21. Duel of Love

**Coral: Hello world! It has been a long while since I last updated this and for that I apologize. I am just too in my Huntsmen in Kalos story and I have other stories to work on. Speaking of which, I had started another story. No it is not Yugioh; it is a RWBY story. Follows the storyline and has my OC in it.**

 **Aki: You must have a big amount of imagination.**

 **Coral: AND I AM PROUD OF IT! Anyway, to the story, I do not own any Yugioh. The only OCs I own would be Kohaku, her father and her sister. The decks they own are also my doings. Every other OCs and their decks goes to their own creators.**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 ** _*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*_**

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

 _ ***OPENING***_

 ** _(Instrumental)_** _(_ _The scene begins with a nice top view of the island_ _)_

 ** _To the beginning sky... towards the shining light  
_** _(The camera looks up to the sky, having a nice view of it and the sun as the anime logo slowly appeared)  
_ ** _There's nothing to fear... because I'm here..._** _  
(Freakstar Dragon with Naruto on his back and Time Space Magician flew pass the logo the Spellcaster-type shined the crystal ball on his staff, changing the scene)_

 ** _Falling countless times to your knees_** _  
_ ** _Not protecting your own pride  
_** _(Kohaku slipped on a banana peel and was laughed at by many students. She laughed along with them)  
_ ** _Only coming up with just doubts_** _  
_ ** _Do not close your eyes just yet  
_** _(Alex and Bella looked at the scene in slight envy at how she was, in a way, getting along with many others despite her being in Red and daughter of a famous circus' ringmaster and walked their separate ways)_

 ** _I absolutely cannot see  
_** ** _the possibility that's here and now  
_** _(Judai was imagining himself as the next King of Games. Manjoume and his friends along with Chronos glared at how impossible it would be for him while Misawa, Shou and Hayato looked at him with interest or slight admiration)  
_ ** _When these tears turn into rain  
_** ** _I just want you to notice_** _  
(Asuka and Ryou were at the entrance of the Abandon Dorm and stared at a picture of the latter's brother with determination)_

 ** _Spit out all the vexing things  
_** ** _Because there's a meaning for taking things  
_** _(Bella was remembering the time when she was younger, getting bullied and being isolated by others because of her powers. Her patience went to her limit as she accidentally summoned a monster and released it onto them)  
_ ** _Even if you desire everything, you don't need to grasp it all  
_** _(_ _Alex was remembering when he was accepted into Duel Academy and told the principal that he wished to start at the lowest rank, just to be bullied by those of a higher rank_ _)  
_ ** _Just keep a hold of one most important thing_** _  
(Kohaku placed her hands on their shoulders and snapped them out of the memory lane and smiled at them then pushed them to the rest of their friends)_

 ** _In the beginning of the sky, I welcome you  
_** ** _do not ever look back just look forward  
_** _(Judai had out Flame Wingman, who fought against Chronos' Antique Gear Golem and Asuka's Cyber Blader, as Kohaku had out Time Space Magician, who was going head-to-head against Alex's Light and Darkness Dragon and Bella's Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama)  
_ ** _If you feel the wind on your back  
_** ** _then there won't be anything to worry about_** _  
(Shou and his monsters were looking at his brother and his monsters with determination, who smirked in approval, causing the younger sibling to smile back)_

 ** _If you would look around, you'd see all these smiling faces  
_** _(In another realm, it showed all of Kohaku, Bella, Alex, Judai, Shou, Hayato, and Asuka's monsters smiling at the camera)  
_ ** _Do not carry everything by yourself  
_** _(Kohaku was looking at her late sister's deck in her hand with a solemn look, the deck's monster spirits floating right by her side)  
_ ** _Don't rush either, the answer is along the way  
_** _(The scene turned dark and the whole gang were running towards the light)  
_ ** _you'll definitely find it for sure_** _  
(They arrived at a lighthouse, looking up at the night sky)_

* * *

It was the morning of Duel Academia. Everyone was in the auditorium for a speech, given by the principal.

"Our yearly goodwill duel with our sister-school, the Duel Academia's North Campus, is drawing near," he said. "Last year, our then Second-Year Ryo Marufuji defeated the North Campus representative in a solo duel, bringing our campus victory. And again in a tag duel with a partner against the North Campus' other two representatives."

"As expected of the Kaiser," Alex whispered. Kohaku nodded in agreement to that statement.

"Our campus representative for this year hasn't been decided upon yet, but keep putting in effort in your daily great effort everyone, so that any of you can be selected." The screen where Samejima was announcing from was turned off.

"All right! Who wouldn't work hard, aiming to be representative?!" Judai excitedly asked.

"As good as you are, aniki, Kaiser Ryo's no doubt going to be chosen as this year's representative!" Shou declared.

"Still, it might be nice to participate," Tiffany said.

"But don't forget, the principal said there is a Tag Team portion," Seth added, as he, Kohaku, Alex and Bella approached them. "So if we're lucky, any one of us would be his partner."

Kohaku, with a cheeky grin on her face, gave Seth a noogie. "Look who's smart enough to figure that out!"

"Ow ow ow! Knock it off!"

"But you're cute~ You little genius!" Tiffany snatched Seth away from Kohaku and tickled the young boy.

"Haha! Wait! Stop! Hahaha!"

Bella saved Seth the torture by pulling back the female Osiris. "Okay. That's enough now."

Out of the four, Alex was the one who noticed a pair of new faces. "Who are the new Reds?" The other three took notice of the two. One of the new students seemed as young as Shou and Seth and wore a black hat. The other was around everyone else's age and, under his blazer, wore a black shirt with a picture of a jack-o-lantern on it.

"Jacko?!" Bella identified the taller boy in shock.

"Bella!" one of the transfers, Jacko, spoke happily. Before anyone knew it, the transfer ran up to Bella and kissed her on the lips. Bella's friends and the other transfer watched dumbfounded as Jacko pulled away from the kiss. "I can't believe I finally found you!"

"I can't believe it too, but why and how are you here?" Bella asked.

"I missed you. I was getting tired of our long-distance relationship and decided to transfer here."

"Jacko..." The new Osiris placed his forehead on Bella's.

"Now, we can be together again."

"Ahem." The two lovebirds looked over to the gang as Kohaku cleared her throat. "Mind explaining things to us?"

Bella let out a nervous laugh. "Right... Guys, this is Jacko. My boyfriend."

Everyone once again looked dumbfounded by the reveal. "EEEEEEEHHHHHHHHH?!"

"Hang on! Boyfriend?! Since when?!" Shou demanded.

"For a while. Half the time we were having a long-distance relationship," Jacko answered for Bella. "I know you guys. Judai, Shou, Seth, Alex, and Kohaku. Bella said a bunch of stuff about you in her letters."

"And the reason why Bella told us nothing about you is because?" Alex asked.

"I... May have forgotten to tell you guys about him," the Obelisk female said.

"Sure..." her friends said in a sarcastic tone.

"Hey, hey, hey. It's okay for her to not talk about me. I'm sure she had lots of fun with you guys to not mention me," Jacko defended.

"Sorry, Jacko."

"Like I said, it's okay." Jacko kissed Bella on the forehead to add the reassurance.

"Okay, before I possibly barf from this attraction, who was the other new Osiris?" the 'Circus' duelist asked.

"'Was'?" Tiffany repeated as she, Shou and Judai looked to the other transfer. Instead of him by Shou's side, the other new kid was gone.

"Huh? That's strange. He was just here," Judai said.

"While we're on this topic, who is he?" Seth repeated Kohaku's question.

"His name's Rei. Don't know much about him besides a fellow transfer," Jacko replied.

"We sure are getting a lot of transfers, aren't we?" his girlfriend noticed.

* * *

Later, school was out and the gang were going to show Jacko around the island. Hayato joined them on the tour. While they were showing Jacko around, from the corner of his eyes, Seth sw movement. He looked and saw the other transfer, Rei, running to the Obelisk male dorm.

He got suspicious and decided to follow him. "Hey guys. I just remembered. I have to make a call to my parents. They should know about the upcoming event, even if I'm not going to participate in it." Before they could say anything, Seth left.

The young Ra managed to catch up to Rei and kept hidden behind trees or in bushes. He saw her climb up a tree into in an Obelisk bedroom.

"What are you up to?" he muttered, following up the tree. He saw Rei in room and saw him open a drawer. Rei took out a deck case and took the cards out. Seth noticed a couple of those cards were Cyber Dragon and Power Bond.

' _That's the Kaiser's deck!_ ' he thought. Just when the Ra was about to call Rei, he saw him nuzzling the cards with a blush in his cheeks. ' _What the heck?!_ '

"That's the Kaiser, all fight!" he then heard.

"He just trashed that guy!"

"And it was easy, too!" He looked down and saw some Obelisks heading to the dorm, one of them being Ryo.

"That's bad!" he silently said. He then jumped to the balcony and ran up to Rei. "Hey, what are you doing?!" Rei turned to him. "Drop the deck! Or are you a spy from the North?!"

"No, I'm not!" Rei defended. They heard voices coming closer to the room.

"We'll talk later! Let's just run!" Seth grabbed Rei's hand and pulled him to the window. Upon doing so, the Osiris's cap fell off his head, revealing long blue hair. Seth looked at him, or her, in shock. "You're a-!" Rei quickly took her cap and left the room from where she entered. Seth followed after her. "Wait for-!"

"What are you doing here?!" Seth flinched at the question and looked back. At the door were Ryo and his three friends.

"This isn't what it looks like, I swear!" he panicked.

One of the Obelisks saw Ryo's cards on the floor. "Kaiser's deck is-!"

"Why you! You're a spy, aren't you?!" another accused.

"Again, you got it all wrong! I-I am only here... To deliver a message to Kaiser! From his little brother!" Seth lied.

"Don't screw with us! Like anyone is going to believe that!"

While the three were ganging up on the small prodigy, Ryo noticed a barrette on the floor. "What's the message?" he played along. His friends looked at him in shock.

"Huh? Oh! Um... He said... He hopes to be the one representing our school! You know, following your footsteps! Trying to surpass you!" Seth continued to lie.

' _It is amazing how I can come up with lies right on the spot!_ ' he then thought.

"I see. Tell him I said good luck. And exit from the front."

Happy that he was spared, Seth left the room.

"That was scary..." he muttered as he walked out of the dorm. Unknown to him, Rei was hiding in the bushes near him.

"Why didn't he...?" she began to wonder.

* * *

Later that day, Seth and Rei were at bottom of the seaside cliff right beneath the Osiris's dorm, the latter inviting the former.

"Why did you keep quiet about me?" she asked.

"This afternoon? Well, you probably have a reason for being here, dressed as a boy," Seth answered.

"Don't tell anyone about this afternoon!"

"Give me a good reason why. I haven't told my friends back in my dorm yet, though."

"I can't tell you!"

Seth took something out of the bag he brought. "Then let's duel!"

"Wait, what? Why should I duel you?" Rei asked.

"Kohaku once said it herself. You can connect with others by dueling."

"Kohaku?"

"Yeah! Whenever she duels, she touched everyone's heart. And back when she was a performer, I remember her summoning monsters to join in on her stunts, making it even more entertaining! Don't tell anyone, but I actually want to be like Kohaku! I want to connect with others through dueling! The duelists I've dueled so far are nothing but bullies, so it's hard to truly connect with them."

Rei took his words to her heart. "Then if I win, you'll keep quiet, right? About me."

"Yeah. So what do you say?" Seth confirmed.

Little did they know, Judai, Shou, Hayato, Tiffany, Kohaku, Alex, Bella and Jacko were spying on them.

"Rei was a girl!?" Shou silently gasped.

"I wonder what they meant by 'this afternoon'," Alex wondered.

"I want to duel though..." Judai whined.

"There's always next time," Tiffany cheered him up.

"But if the transfers so far are all female..." Hayato trailed off there, as he and everyone, except Bella, stared at Jacko suspiciously.

The couple caught their stares and instantly knew what they were thinking.

"I'm 100℅ a guy, I swear!" the Osiris hissed.

"And I don't swing that way!" the Obelisk added.

The group still stared at them suspiciously.

"In any way, he has the right idea," came Asuka's voice. They turned and saw her and Ryo behind them.

"One's nature is revealed in a duel, even reflecting that person's heart," the Kaiser pointed out.

"That's true," Kohaku agreed. "After all, that's what dueling is about: having fun and connecting with your opponent and the audience."

"And here I thought the latter was all Kohaku and Tiffany, since they were performers," Shou muttered.

"DUEL!" The group looked back to the duel that was starting.

 **Rei: 4000 LP**  
 **Seth: 4000 LP**

"I'll start first! Draw!" Rei drew her next card. "I summon Maiden in Love!" A young, cute girl in a yellow dress appeared on the field.

 **Maiden in Love: Level 2/LIGHT/Spellcaster/400 ATK/300 DEF**

"Whoa! How cute!" the '-Roid' duelist complimented. Most of his friends sweatdropped at his words.

"I end my turn!"

"My turn! Draw!" Seth drew his next card and observed his hand. "I summon Darkus Robotallion!" A black and purple armored warrior appeared on the field.

 **Darkus Robotallion: Level 3/DARK/Warrior/1100 ATK/800 DEF**

"I hate to do this, but battle!"

"But that's not fair..." Shou complained.

"Whose side are you on?" Hayato asked in disbelief.

"Still, women change when they're in love," Asuka pointed out.

"I can tell that," Kohaku agreed with a cat-like grin, staring at one certain Obelisk.

" **Robotallion Enforcement**!" Robotallion was covered in purple aura and hit his opponent with a punch.

 **Rei: 3300 LP**  
 **Seth: 4000 LP**

"I activate Maiden in Love's monster effect! While in Attack Poison, she can't be destroyed!" Rei said.

"Whoa! Not bad!" At Seth's comment, one of his monster spirits, a black and purple hydra, appeared by his side.

"Seth..." he called.

' _What's up, Darkus Hydranoid?_ ' Seth telepathically asked, as he looked at his monster.

"Look..." Seth looked back at the field and saw something that made his jaw drop. Somehow, the field was bright and covered with flowers, as Robotallion approached Maiden in Love.

"I'm sorry, milady. Are you okay?" he asked, kneeling down to her level. The monster held his cheeks and kissed him on the head, which he blushed in return.

"EEEHHHHH?!" Seth gasped, as Darkus Hydranoid looked on with a blank face. "What are you doing, Robotallion?!"

In the audience, those who saw what he did were also dumbfounded by the sight. As for those who didn't, they were confused as to why he was talking to his monster.

"What's with Seth?" Shou asked.

"Did that just...?" Alex whispered to his fellow psychic duelists.

"Yes. Yes that did happen," Kohaku answered.

"Hey uh... Does Maiden in Love have another effect?" the dueling Ra asked.

"Yeah. The opposing monster that attacked Maiden in Love gets one Maiden Counter on it!" Rei explained. Her monster sent a heart over to Robotallion. It hit and the Warrior-type monster had a beating heart on his chest.

Seth looked at his hand and took a card. "I set one card face-down and end my turn!"

"My turn. Draw!" Rei drew her next card. "From my hand, I activate the Equip Magic, Cupid Kiss!" A cupid appeared and gave Maiden in Love a kiss. "Battle! Use your true feelings!"

Seth flinched slightly as the scene changed all flowery, as Maiden slowly ran to Robotallion.

"Robotallion-sama! Please accept my true feelings!" she called. Robotallion pivoted to the right, causing her to trip and fall. "H-How cruel! You're too cruel!"

The DARK monster kneeled to her. "My apologies! I didn't mean to..."

The LIGHT monster turned to him and gave him an air kiss. "You'll listen to what I say, won't you?"

"Of course!"

"Then... Will you attack Seth?"

"Of course! Anything for you!"

Seth just looked with a stupefied face. "Wait. What?" Robotallion used his signature attack on his own duelist. "Okay! What just happened?! Robotallion, how could you side against me so easily?!"

"If she attacks the monster with a Maiden Counter and ends up being dealt damage instead, the Equip Magic, Cupid Kiss, activates and controls that monster."

 **Rei: 2600 LP**  
 **Seth: 2900 LP**

"I set one card face-down. My turn ends."

"Okay... So I can't attack Maiden unless she's in Defense Mode or her effect is negated. Got it," Seth noted as he drew his next card. "Okay! I summon Darkus Falconeer!" A black and purple humanoid falcon-like monster appeared on his field.

 **Darkus Falconeer: Level 3/DARK/Winged-Beast/1600 ATK/500 DEF**

"Falconeer can attack directly! So go! Attack Rei directly! **Falcon Strike**!" Seth ordered. His monster flew over to his target.

"I activate the Continuous Trap, Defense Maiden!" For some reason, Falconeer changed his target to Maiden in Love and rammed into her.

 **Rei: 1400 LP**  
 **Seth: 2900 LP**

"Because of Defense Maiden, you have to attack Maiden in Love," Rei explained. And before the psychic duelists' eyes, they see another love scene going on.

"Are you okay?!" Robotallion asked Maiden in Love. He faced Falconeer. "Falconeer! How could you attack such an innocent and harmless girl?! Have you no shame?!"

"Y-You're right. What have I done?! I am so very sorry, young one!" the winged-beast apologized.

"It's okay. After all... You are meant to fight, right?" Maiden winked at Falconeer.

His eyes had hearts in them as he grabbed his chest where his heart was. "I'm in love!"

"And Falconeer is down," Bella said.

Seth stared wide-eyed, not liking what was going on or what will soon happen. "I uh... Set one card and end my turn."

"My turn. Draw!" Rei drew her next card. "I activate the Equip Magic, Happy Marriage! Maiden in Love now gains ATK equal to the ATK of one of my other monsters!" Her female monster changed into a wedding dress and looked tenderly at Robotallion.

 **Maiden in Love: 400 + 1100 = 1500 ATK**

"Uh-oh..." Seth spoke.

"Falconeer-sama!" Maiden ran to Falconeer. Like with Robotallion, Falconeer pivoted to the right and caused her to trip.

 **Rei: 1300 LP**  
 **Seth: 2900 LP**

"Falconeer-sama... How cruel!" she then cried.

"Please don't cry!" Falconeer pleaded.

"Then... Can I ask you to fight for me?"

"Yes! Of course!"

Seth looked with a blank face and quickly wrote down what seemed like a will as both his monsters went and attacked him at Maiden in Love's command.

 **Rei: 1300 LP**  
 **Seth: 200 LP**

Rei tossed her hat and bandana away. "A girl is strong when she's in love! There's nothing that's impossible!"

"No way!" Tiffany gasped.

"Even a young prodigy like Seth is overwhelmed by her," Ryo stated.

"Going as far as seducing monsters in a duel is possibly easy," Asuka said. "Chasing after her first love, she came all this way to this distant Southern island."

Everyone present except Ryo gasped in shock at the reveal.

"On top of that, she even passed the difficult transfer exam."

"I set one card face-down and end my turn!" Rei ended.

Seth got up from his lying position, seeing stars. He shook his head and got back to the game.

"Seth..." his spirit called.

"Yeah. It's time to get serious," the 'Darkus' duelist said. "My turn! Draw!" He drew his next card and smiled. "Let's go, partner!"

"Yeah!" Hydranoid's spirit vanished.

"I activate the Magic card, Fusion! With this card I fuse Darkus Hydranoid and Darkus Wormquake from my hand!" Hydranoid and a giant black and purple earthworm with razor-sharp teeth appeared and fused. "Great fearsome hydra, gain the power of the terrifying earthworm and give birth to a new power! FUSION SUMMON! Appear now, undying creature of darkness! Darkus Dual Hydranoid!" Hydranoid appeared on the field with an extra head and a metal saw on his chest.

 **Darkus Dual Hydranoid: Level 6/DARK/Dragon/2600 ATK/1300 DEF**

"Battle! I attack Maiden in Love with Dual Hydranoid! **Dual Gazer**!" The two-headed monster shot out a pair of energy balls, one white and the other purple, at the Maiden.

"I activate my Trap Card, Defense Draw! The damage I take from one battle becomes zero and I draw a card!" Rei countered, as the attack hit her monster. "With this, your Fusion Monster is also affected now."

"No. Think again," Seth corrected. Rei took another look at Dual Hydranoid and saw he was unaffected by her monster's effect.

In the psychic duelists' eyes...

"Dual Hydranoid! How could you?!" Robotallion scolded.

"She's just an innocent girl!" Falconeer added.

Dual Hydranoid roared at both their faces. "No innocent girl can easily brainwash idiots like you two! Snap out of it!" He smacked them both hard, hard enough to knock them unconscious.

"Huh?! Why?!" Maiden gasped, not believing Dual Hydranoid is unaffected by her.

"Once per turn, Dual Hydranoid can negate a card effect and gain 500 ATK boost!" Seth explained, as his monster got more power.

 **Darkus Dual Hydranoid: 2600 + 500 = 3100 ATK**

"And the best part is, he can attack twice per turn!" Rei flinched at the added info of his monster. "Attack Maiden in Love again! **Destruction Impact**!" Duel Hydranoid released a more powerful version of Dual Gazer at Maiden in Love, ending the duel.

 **Rei: 0000 LP**  
 **Seth: 200 LP**

 **WINNER: SETH!**

"Whew. That was close," Seth sighed.

"Seth... I-"

"Rei. If you want to say your reason for being here, I think you should say it to the person you did it for behind you." Rei turned and saw Seth's friends and Ryo watching the whole time.

"Ryo-sama!" she gasped.

"You're up," Asuka said to the senior. "This is a man's responsibility, isn't it?"

Ryo slightly frowned at the fact.

"I'm sorry. I was the one who snuck into your dorm. Seth was trying to stop me..." Rei confessed, blushing.

"I know," the Kaiser told her.

"Ever since you went to Duel Academia, Ryo-sama, I always wanted to come here, wanted to see you. And I'm finally here." Everyone was in awe and touched at her feelings. "I lost to Seth in that duel, but I won't lose my feelings for you, Mr. Ryo, to anyone! Please accept the feelings of this maiden!"

Ryo was speechless at the big confession.

"Whoa! Even the Kaiser is overwhelmed!" Judai said.

"Just now, I could've sworn I saw Maiden in Love using her effect on Ryo," Kohaku whispered, which those who heard nodded in agreement.

"I get it now," Asuka spoke. "Your wholehearted feelings are lovely. However as you said before, unlike in duels, a real woman wouldn't use things like winks or kisses. It makes me wonder if dueling and love both bear and tie feelings together from the very beginning."

Rei misunderstood what she was saying. "Hey, what are you to Ryo-sama?! Your not my love rival, are you?!"

"T-That's not it..."

The guy in question saved his fellow Obelisk. "Rei, I'm flattered by how you feel, but right now, I'm devoted to dueling." He handed her back her barrette. "Rei, go back to your home town."

The girl teared up at those words.

"Ryo-san! That's too far!" Tiffany scolded.

"Yeah! Besides, Tiffany is a girl, and she's allowed to be in Osiris!" Judai added.

"Rei can't stay here," Seth added. "Just one other thing I found out during our duel.

"And that would be?" Jacko asked.

"Is her being a guy the truth?" the 'Elemental Hero' duelist guessed.

Ryo dropped the bomb. "Rei is still a fifth grader in elementary school." Those who didn't know all gasped in jumped in shock and surprise, while Rei was sheepishly laughing.

"Yeah... I met my match," the 'Darkus' duelisy added, considering he was the youngest freshman in Duel Academia.

Kohaku laughed. "This is why dueling is the best!"

* * *

The next day, everyone was at the docks, waving good-bye to Rei as her ship was sailing off the island.

"Bye-bye! Next year, once I graduate from elementary school, I'll take the test again and study over here!" Rei shouted.

"But you won't be here by then," Seth pointed out to Ryo.

"I guess her love ends here then," Judai assumed.

"Wait for me, Seth-sama!"

Said boy was taken aback at the name she called. "Wait- Did she say me?!"

"I'm sure she's head over heels for you because of your duel," Bella assumed.

"Thataboy!" Kohaku commented, hitting the young Ra hard on the back.

"The rest is up to you then," Ryo said, taking his leave.

"Well, Seth, we'll go on ahead," Shou told him, as he, Judai and Hayato followed Ryo.

"You'll have to see her off," the koala-face duelist said.

"Keep waving at her until you can't see the ship anymore!" Asuka added, also taking her leave.

"You have to unless you want her to be heartbroken again," Bella added, as everyone else also left.

"Wait for me! I'll be back! Seth-sama!" Rei called again, waving to him.

"Y-... Yeah! See you next year!" Seth called as he waved back.


	22. Representative Decisive Tournament Pt1

**Coral: And now! It is here! The representative decision duel! Or should I say tournament?! And it is here dueling will change! And by that I mean I will take a page out of Arc-V's book and add in Action Duel! For the sake of making the duels even more interesting!**

 **Aki: Is that even okay?**

 **Coral: I read GX stories that included Synchro Summoning. This should be okay.**

 **Aki: If you say so.**

 **Coral: And I do say so. Oh! And before I forget, I will be out for the week. So I won't be doing any updates for a while. I would, but I am still banned from here in my parents' eyes.**

 **Aki: Speaking of, your birthday is today, isn't it? Shouldn't their gift to you be to lift the ban so you don't have to keep hiding this and worry that they will find out?**

 **Coral: If only it was that simple, Aki. If only...** **Anyway, to the story, I do not own any Yugioh. The only OCs I own would be Kohaku and her family. The decks they own are also my doing. Every other OCs and their decks goes to their own creators.**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 ** _*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*_**

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

 _ ***OPENING***_

 ** _(Instrumental)_** _(_ _The scene begins with a nice top view of the island_ _)_

 ** _To the beginning sky... towards the shining light  
_** _(The camera looks up to the sky, having a nice view of it and the sun as the anime logo slowly appeared)  
_ ** _There's nothing to fear... because I'm here..._** _  
(Freakstar Dragon with Naruto on his back and Time Space Magician flew pass the logo the Spellcaster-type shined the crystal ball on his staff, changing the scene)_

 ** _Falling countless times to your knees_** _  
_ ** _Not protecting your own pride  
_** _(Kohaku slipped on a banana peel and was laughed at by many students. She laughed along with them)  
_ ** _Only coming up with just doubts_** _  
_ ** _Do not close your eyes just yet  
_** _(Alex and Bella looked at the scene in slight envy at how she was, in a way, getting along with many others despite her being in Red and daughter of a famous circus' ringmaster and walked their separate ways)_

 ** _I absolutely cannot see  
_** ** _the possibility that's here and now  
_** _(Judai was imagining himself as the next King of Games. Manjoume and his friends along with Chronos glared at how impossible it would be for him while Misawa, Shou and Hayato looked at him with interest or slight admiration)  
_ ** _When these tears turn into rain  
_** ** _I just want you to notice_** _  
(Asuka and Ryou were at the entrance of the Abandon Dorm and stared at a picture of the latter's brother with determination)_

 ** _Spit out all the vexing things  
_** ** _Because there's a meaning for taking things  
_** _(Bella was remembering the time when she was younger, getting bullied and being isolated by others because of her powers. Her patience went to her limit as she accidentally summoned a monster and released it onto them)  
_ ** _Even if you desire everything, you don't need to grasp it all  
_** _(_ _Alex was remembering when he was accepted into Duel Academy and told the principal that he wished to start at the lowest rank, just to be bullied by those of a higher rank_ _)  
_ ** _Just keep a hold of one most important thing_** _  
(Kohaku placed her hands on their shoulders and snapped them out of the memory lane and smiled at them then pushed them to the rest of their friends)_

 ** _In the beginning of the sky, I welcome you  
_** ** _do not ever look back just look forward  
_** _(Judai had out Flame Wingman, who fought against Chronos' Antique Gear Golem and Asuka's Cyber Blader, as Kohaku had out Time Space Magician, who was going head-to-head against Alex's Light and Darkness Dragon and Bella's Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama)  
_ ** _If you feel the wind on your back  
_** ** _then there won't be anything to worry about_** _  
(Shou and his monsters were looking at his brother and his monsters with determination, who smirked in approval, causing the younger sibling to smile back)_

 ** _If you would look around, you'd see all these smiling faces  
_** _(In another realm, it showed all of Kohaku, Bella, Alex, Judai, Shou, Hayato, and Asuka's monsters smiling at the camera)  
_ ** _Do not carry everything by yourself  
_** _(Kohaku was looking at her late sister's deck in her hand with a solemn look, the deck's monster spirits floating right by her side)  
_ ** _Don't rush either, the answer is along the way  
_** _(The scene turned dark and the whole gang were running towards the light)  
_ ** _you'll definitely find it for sure_** _  
(They arrived at a lighthouse, looking up at the night sky)_

* * *

It was just another day on the island. A ship was dropping off some packages. Well, more than just packages.

"Mom!" Kohaku ran to a woman getting off the ship. The woman had long black hair and wore a black business suit. She looked at Kohaku and a smile was formed on her face as the teen hugged the woman, who hugged back.

"Kohaku! I missed you," she said.

"I missed you too, mom."

"Kate," called Kazato. The two looked up and saw Kohaku's father approaching them. "You're just as beautiful as the last I saw you."

Kohaku's mother, Kate, giggled at the compliment as she and Kohaku ended the hug. "Oh, honey. You're just as handsome as the last I saw you. Are you just as entertaining?"

"That remains to be seen." Kazato wrapped his arms around his wife as they both kissed.

"Okay, you really need to stop acting like teenagers," their daughter said, in which they ignored. "And as usual they ignore everything around them."

Kate ended the kiss as she had realized something. "Shouldn't Kohaku be in class?"

Knowing how her mother gets when it comes to work of any kind, including school work, Kohaku improvised. "Oh, will you look at the time? I am late for class. Thanks a lot, dad!" Patting her father on the shoulder, she took off to school.

The two adults stood there as one gave a scolding look to the other and said other had a nervous look, with sweat dripping down his face.

"Uh... She insisted?" Kazato said.

"I'll let this slide. Just this once," Kate said, to his relief.

* * *

Later in the afternoon, the whole school was in the auditorium. Kohaku's parents were standing up on the lower stage, giving an announcement.

"Good afternoon, everyone," Kazato began. "As some of you may know, I am Kigara Kazato. And this is my wife, Kigara Kate." There were murmurs in the crowd as everyone knew who the two were, especially Kazato. "Now, I'm sure you all heard about the upcoming school duel. For those of you in your second and third years, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but none of you are going to be representing this year. And for a good reason. Our rival of the North campus will be using a first year as their representative." More murmurs entered the crowd at the info. "We had a meeting earlier, wondering who, within our first year, will be our representative. We all got different nominees, which is why my wife and I decide to do a little something." Kazato clapped his hands, turning on the screen above him. The screen showed sixteen blank photos.

"The duel is less than a week away. Enough time for us to do a tournament of our own," Kate spoke. "This tournament will decide who will represent our school in the solo and tag duel. The last two finalists will be in the tag duel. The strongest of the two... Will be in the solo duel." Everyone in the first year got psyched. "Of course it will be boring just to have the nominees duel. Which is why, we are also doing a small lotto. First let's reveal said nominees." Eight photos flipped and revealed the first eight.

"I'm up!" Judai said.

"Whoa! That's awesome, Aniki!" Shou said.

"Kohaku and the others are up too," Hayato added. As he said, Kohaku, Alex, Bella, Misawa, Asuka and Seth were up.

"Is this a joke?" Alex whispered to Kohaku.

"My parents never joke," she replied. "Who is that girl though?" Along with their photos was a photo of a girl they never met.

"That's Professor Chronos's daughter," Bella whispered to them. They looked at her in shock. "Trust me, I was shocked too. Her name is Elie. She uses an 'Antique Gear' deck like her father."

"Now, we would've just make the tournament with just these eight, but my husband and I wanted to make this tournament more interesting. Especially due to the fact that... Should I tell them or you?" Kate asked Kazato.

"Hmm... Actually... Kohaku! _Step up please_!" he called. Kohaku happily got on stage by her parents' side. "Would you like to give the news?"

"I would!" Kohaku faced the crowd. "Earlier today when my mom- I mean, Professor Kate arrived, so did the project my parents were working on that will make dueling much more exciting. Turns out, they managed to finish the project earlier than expected. So this tournament will also help demonstrate the new, exciting way of dueling." Everyone applauded at her words.

"Thank you, Kohaku. Now, with that said, for the other eight contestants, they are..." The eight remaining photos spun, taking a few seconds to reveal the last eight. "Ayanokouji Mitsuru, Tiffany Adagio, Torimaki Taiyou, Kochou Ran, Hinamori Rose, Mototani Raizou, Gokaido Houzan, and Tenshiro Mina." Everyone applauded for the last eight.

"All right! I'm in too," Tiffany cheered.

"Good for you, Tiffany," Jacko congratulated.

Bella looked at the last duelist on the screen with a worried look. ' _I hope I don't duel her,_ ' she prayed.

"Now then, the photos on the board will shuffle and we will see who will duel who!" Kazato pressed a button on the remote, causing the screen to shuffle the pictures and set them in pairs. The pictures flipped and revealed the duelists and their opponents.

 **1\. Kohaku vs. Rose**

 **2\. Judai vs. Mitsuru**

 **3\. Seth vs. Reginald**

 **4\. Alex vs. Tori**

 **5\. Asuka vs. Ran**

 **6\. Misawa vs. Raizou**

 **7\. Tiffany vs. Elie**

 **8\. Bella vs. Mina**

"All the contestants, do remember your opponent and when your duel is. Because tomorrow in the duel stadium, _it will be showtime_!" Kazato ended.

Everyone cheered as the exit the auditorium, thus ending the assembly.

"Okay! Since tomorrow is going to be a new duel, I have to do my training at 200℅ power!" With that promise, Kohaku took off.

"I guess I should too," Bella said.

"The gym might be the best place to train, if the project that arrived is the exact same one Kohaku was telling us about," Alex said. They both went to the gym.

"We should go too," Seth said to Tiffany.

"I'll come with you. Because Bella is there," Jacko said.

"Then it's decided." Tiffany grabbed the boys' hands and followed after them.

* * *

The next day, everyone was in the duel stadium, waiting for the tournament to start.

"Signori e Signore! Our apologies for making you wait- no ne!" Chronos began. "We are now commencing the academy representative decision tournament- no ne!" Everyone cheered at those words. "For the first round, from Obelisk Blue, Hinamori Rose! And from Ra Yellow, Fiore Kohaku!" Both contestants got cheers from the audience. "And now-!"

"Wait!" came Kazato's voice. He stepped up on the center of the field next to Chronos. " _This is no good._ " That got everyone confused, and not because he was speaking English. "Didn't we say it the other day? The project my wife and I were working on was delivered here yesterday. And now, it's all set up."

Kate was in the audience in the front row with a laptop. "It's ready!" she called.

Kazato faced the audience. " _Ladies and gentlemen_ , feast your eyes on the future! Kate!"

"Action Field on! Field Magic, Book Kingdom, activate!"

To everyone's surprise, the stadium lit up as they were forced to cover their eyes from the light. Once the light died down, they all looked and saw themselves in a fancy ballroom, either standing or sitting by the railings. The dueling duelists were down below in the position they were in earlier. Books were floating around them.

"Whoa! Awesome!" Judai shouted.

"So this is the project Kohaku's parents were working on," Asuka said, impressed.

"Everything feels real," Ryo said, also impressed as he touched a red curtain.

Shou noticed something above them. "What's that?"

Everyone else looked up and saw an orb, containing cards within it.

"Are those cards?" Bella asked.

"But why are they up there?" Alex wondered.

"The duel is starting!" Seth said, shutting them up.

"Oh but wait! We cannot start such an exciting duel yet!" Kazato said from the top of the chandelier.

"H-He's right- no ne! How do we get down from here- na no ne?!" Chronos panicked, holding on to the ex-performer.

"Wrong! With this new field, this new way of dueling, there is also an oath for this duel!" The audience muttered in confusion at the mention of the oath. "Kohaku! How about you start us off?!"

"Of course!" she obliged. "Duelists locked in battle!"

"Kicking against the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters!" Kazato followed.

"They storm through this field!" Kate followed after.

"Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling!" the three said in unison. "Action! DUEL!"

Rose snapped out of her stupor at 'duel'. "D-Duel!" At that moment, the orb above them popped and cards scattered everywhere, though not visible.

 **Kohaku: 4000 LP  
Rose: 4000 LP**

"Is it okay if I go first? Just to demonstrate more of Action Duel," the 'Circus Freak' duelist requested.

"Fine by me," Rose insisted.

"Then I draw!" Kohaku drew her sixth card. " _Hola! Bonjour! Hello, everybody_! It is now time to get this show on the road!" She stepped on a book lying on the floor, which shot her to the ceiling. "First! I will summon out Circus Freak, Swinger!" Her monster on swings appeared and caught her by the hand.

 **Circus Freak Swinger: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/500 ATK/500 DEF**

After she was pulled up on top of the swing, Kohaku said, "Now then! Do try to catch us!" They both jumped off the swing and Swinger summoned another swing, therefore having the two to swing all over the place.

"And Kohaku ends her turn with a light move!" Kazato announced, acting as an announcer as he took a leap and sat by Kate's side, Chinos still clinging onto him in fear. "Kate! How do you suppose Rose will react?"

"We'll have to see, Kazato," Kate replied.

"My turn. Draw!" Rose drew her next card. "I activate the Continuous Magic, Water Hazard! Once per turn if I don't have a monster on my field, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower WATER monster from my hand! I summon Draw Frog!" An orange frog appeared.

 **Draw Frog: Level 2/WATER/Aqua/100 ATK/100 DEF**

"Next I summon Sophisticated Frog!" A white and blue with red swirly marks appeared as well.

 **Sophisticated Frog: Level 2/WATER/Aqua/100 ATK/2000 DEF**

"Next I activate the Magic Card, Big Wave Small Wave! This card destroys all face-up WATER monsters on my field and Special Summon an equal number of WATER monsters from my hand! I destroy Draw Frog and Sophisticated Frog to summon another Draw Frog and Substitute Toad!" A wave came and washed up the two monsters, replacing one of them with a frog that's pink on the right side and black on the other side, as well as having a right angel wing and left devil wing.

 **Substitute Toad: Level 1/WATER/Aqua/100 ATK/2000 DEF**

"Next, I activate Draw Frog's effect! When he's sent to the graveyard while face-up on the field, I can draw one card!" Rose drew her next card. "And from my Graveyard, I activate Sophisticated Frog's effect! By removing one 'Frog' monster from my Graveyard, I can Special summon him back on the field! I banish Draw Frog!" The blue frog returned to the field.

"But why is she summoning them all out in Attack Mode?" Shou wondered.

"It would make her Defense better," Tiffany added.

"That's true. If she wanted to go into defense," Asuka said.

"Next I activate Substitute Toad's effect! By tributing one monster I control, I can Special Summon a 'Frog' monster from my deck! I release Draw Frog and Special Summon Demon-Wisdom Frog!" Draw Frog glowed and evolved into a clear, white frog with a graduation hate on its head.

 **Demon-Wisdom Frog: Level 2/WATER/Aqua/100 ATK/2000 DEF**

"And with Draw Frog's effect, I draw a card!" Rose drew another card. "I activate the Magic card, Shield in the Right Hand, Sword in the Left Hand! This card can switch the ATK and DEF of all face-up monsters!" While Swinger stayed the same because her ATK and DEF are the same, the three frogs grew in size and strength.

 **Sophisticated Frog: 100 -} 2000 ATK/2000 -} 100 DEF**

 **Substitute Toad:** **100 -} 2000 ATK/2000 -} 100 DEF**

 **Demon-Wisdom Frog:** **100 -} 2000 ATK/2000 -} 100 DEF**

"Their ATK are higher now!" Seth gasped.

"With that sort of power, I'd say it's over to Kohaku! However, are all those attack going to land?" Kazato questioned.

"They will! Battle! I attack Swinger with Substitute Frog!" Said monster leapt high into the air with and made way to the swinging girl and her owner.

As they swung, Kohaku snatched a card from a floating book. " _Lucky_! An Action card! I activate the Action Magic, Avoid!" Both she and Swinger leapt off the swing and Substitute Toad landed on it. Swinger summoned two more swings for herself and her duelist to land and travel on.

"What just happened?!" Hayato asked.

"As you may have noticed, everyone, cards scattered around the field when the duel began. Those are Action cards. They can either help you or turn against you, depending on the card you get. You can only hold one of these cards at a time," Kate explained.

"So we can using cards other than the ones we have?" Bella asked.

"Sounds risky," Misawa said.

"It does. But at the same time, it sounds exciting!" Judai said.

"You may have negated one of my attacks, but let's see you escape this one! Sophisticated Frog! Attack Swinger!" Rose ordered. Her monster shot out green water from its mouth at the girl. Just when it looked like it would land a hit, the water shot up and exploded like a makeshift firework.

"What happened this time?" Alex asked.

"Action Magic, Illusion Dance!" Kohaku said. "This card changes all Attack Position Monsters to Defense until the End Phase! Why fight or just kneel when we can take this time to dance?" That said, she and the monsters started to dance to a music that began to play as soon as the card was activated. "Join us in our dance!" At those words, the Osiris and a handful of Ra's danced along with them, as did most of Kohaku's friends.

"This is fun!" Judai shouted.

"Action Duels are awesome!" Bella followed.

"So then Rose-san, do you end your turn, or would you like to dance a little more?" Kohaku asked.

Rose smiled at the sight, but knew she had to continue her turn somehow. "I set one card face down and end my turn!" By the time she declared the end of her turn, the music ended and the monsters returned to Attack Position, much to everyone's disappointment.

 **Sophisticated Frog: 2000 -} 100 ATK/100 -} 2000 DEF**

 **Substitute Toad:** **2000 -} 100 ATK/100 -} 2000 DEF**

 **Demon-Wisdom Frog:** **2000 -} 100 ATK/100 -} 2000 DEF**

"Looks like it's my turn then. Draw!" Kohaku drew her next card. "Now then everyone! Would you like me to continue the fun?"

"Yes!" they all replied.

"Then it's time to change the field! I activate the Field Magic, Circus Show!" The field changed into her signature field.

"Kohaku's best field!" Alex shouted.

"She's getting serious now," Asuka said.

"Next I activate the Instant Magic, Early Performance! With this I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower 'Circus Freak' monster from my hand or deck! One example of that would be Swinger's partner! Circus Freak, Trapeze Artist!" Swinger tossed a stick into the air which turned into a swing as Trapeze Artist appeared and grabbed hold of the swing, and swung himself around the place.

 **Circus Freak Trapeze Artist: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1400 ATK/1000 DEF**

"And with a 'Circus Freak' monster summoned, you all know what that means! _Makeover_!" Three makeover kits appeared and had the frogs into clown costumes.

 **Sophisticated Frog: 100 - 200 = 0 ATK**

 **Substitute Toad:** **100 - 200 = 0 ATK**

 **Demon-Wisdom Frog:** **100 - 200 = 0 ATK**

"And now I battle! Trapeze Artist attack Demon-Wisdom Frog!" The recently summoned monster swung over to his target and attempted a kick when suddenly...

"Trap card open! Reversal World! All Effect monsters on the field have their ATK and DEF swapped!" As soon as she activated that card, every monster's stats changed, except Swinger.

 **Sophisticated Frog: 0 -} 2000 ATK/2000 -} 0 DEF**

 **Substitute Toad:** **0 -} 2000 ATK/2000 -} 0 DEF**

 **Demon-Wisdom Frog:** **0 -} 2000 ATK/2000 -} 0 DEF**

 **Circus Freak Trapeze Artist: 1400 -} 1000 ATK/1000 -} 1400 DEF**

Due to the stat change, not only were the frogs out of their costumes, leaving them with just the makeup, but Demon-Wisdom Frog easily smacked Trapeze Artist away.

 **Kohaku: 3000 LP  
Rose: 4000 LP**

"How's that?!" Just as Rose started to boast, a pair of boxes appeared. Trapeze Artist went into one, which then closed up on him. The other box also closed.

" _Ladies and gentlemen_! _Boys and girls_! Here we have Trapeze Artist activating his effect! In one box, the box he is inside of, our lovely performer will magically... Disappear. While in the other box, a fellow 'Circus Freak' monster will appear!" Everyone got excited as Kohaku continued her showbiz. "Let's start with Trapeze Artist." The first box opened revealing Trapeze Artist waving to the crowd as they waved back. " _Are you ready, Trapeze Artist_?" He nodded and closed the door.

A lock appeared in Kohaku's hand as she used it on the door lock nice and shut. Next were chains and another lock. Kohaku wrapped the chains around the box and used the lock to secure it. "Now, as we all can see, there is no way, Trapeze Artist will be able to escape from this box! So!" She snapped her fingers and lots of swords appeared. "Let's work our magic! Three! Two! One! Go!" The swords all shot towards the box, hitting their mark. The next thing they know, bombs appeared and attached themselves on the box. They lit up. Kohaku quickly moved away and hid behind a small brick wall that appeared, as did her opponent and her monsters. The bombs exploded and the box was destroyed, but with no trace of Trapeze Artist.

"Where'd he go?" Judai asked, forgetting that he was watching a duel.

"Aniki, when a monster is destroyed, they're sent to the Graveyard," Shou reminded. He felt someone tapped his shoulder. He looked and was greeted with a bag of popcorn. "Oh thanks." As he took a popcorn, he looked a bit further up and saw what he said was wrong. "Where'd you come from?!"

Everyone else looked as a spotlight shone on the stranger, who was none other than Trapeze Artist.

"Oh ho! For those of you who thought Trapeze Artist was destroyed anyway, never underestimate a performer!" Kohaku said. "Now watch as he makes his exit of the day!" Trapeze Artist tossed the bag of popcorn onto the field. He then bowed and leapt from his seat to the bag. He managed to get in the bag, head and all. Kohaku picked up the bag and dumped out all the popcorn, proving that her monster was gone. Even though it was a monster performing the trick, everyone applauded.

"And now, to end the why don't we say hello to our guest star?!" Kohaku continued. The spotlight was on the second box summoned by Trapeze Artist as the door opened and Circus Freak, Contact Juggler appeared out of it. Everyone gave another round of applause at his appearance as he gave a bow and kneeled.

 **Circus Freak Contact Juggler: Level 4/Dark/Spellcaster/0 ATK/2000 DEF**

"And with another 'Circus Freak' monster summoned, your monster gets a new makeover!" Kohaku added. The makeup kit appeared once more and got the three frogs in their costume once more.

 **Sophisticated Frog: 2000 - 200 = 1800 ATK**

 **Substitute Toad: 200** **0 - 200 = 1800 ATK**

 **Demon-Wisdom Frog: 20** **00 - 200 = 1800 ATK**

"Also, because he was summoned by Trapeze Artist's effect, he gains a Circus Counter of his own!" A ball appeared in the newly summoned monster's hand. "I switch Swinger to Defense Mode and end my turn with one card face down!"

"After such a magnificent performance, how will Rose respond to that?!" Kazato questioned.

"My turn! Draw!" Rose drew her next card. "Kohaku-san. You really are something. I had dreamed of dueling you ever since I saw your duel. To experience that thumping feeling in my heart more than I did that day. However, as much as I don't want to do this, I'll end this show now! I activate Substitute Toad's effect! By releasing him, I Special Summon a 'Frog' monster from my deck! That monster is Death Frog!" The two-colored frog changed into a green frog.

 **Death Frog: Level 5/WATER/Aqua/1900 - 400 = 1500 ATK/0 DEF**

"Next I activate the Magic card, Pot of Greed, to draw two more cards!" Rose drew two more cards. "This is perfect. I activate the Magic Card, Painful Choice! I reveal five cards from my deck and you choose which of the five I add to my hand!" The cards Rose revealed were three Yomi Frogs, one Death Song and one Fusion Cancel.

"With five cards revealed to her, which of them will Kohaku decide will go to her opponent's hand?" Kazato asked. "Any guesses, Kate?"

"If I know my daughter, she would choose one that will continue the duel and make it more entertaining," she answered.

"And she knows me so well," Kohaku muttered. "Death Song to your hand!"

Rose smirked at the choice. "In that case, I activate the Magic card, Death Song! With Sophisticated Frog and Demon-Wisdom Frog acting as Death Frog, since there are three Death Frogs, all cards my opponent controls are destroyed!" The three frogs sang a note and destroyed Kohaku's monsters as well as setting the field back to normal.

"Kohaku's field!" Tiffany gasped.

"This is bad!" Seth followed, as the three frogs got out of their costume, except Death Frog.

"Next I activate the Magic Card, Fusion! Frogs of requiem, become one and give birth to the true devil frog! FUSION SUMMON! Appear now, Frog 3-Death!" A huge, mutated frog was formed.

 **Frog 3-Death: Level 8/WATER/Aqua/2500 ATK/2000 DEF**

"And Rose summoned out a powerful monster! And if I know my monsters, I recall this one has a scary effect!" Kate announced.

"For each Yomi Frog in my Graveyard, Frog 3-Death gains 500 ATK! There are three in my Graveyard, so that's a 1500 boost!" Rose continued. Said all frogs appeared and gave him more power.

 **Frog 3-Death: 2500 + 1500 = 4000 ATK**

"Kohaku, run!" Alex shouted.

Kohaku looked around and spotted an Action card right on the chandelier. She climbed her way up using the books.

"Battle! I attack directly with Frog 3-Death! **Triple Death Wave**!" The huge frog shot its attack at its target.

Kohaku spotted another Action card on the pillar a huge leap away from her. She took the risk and jumped off the book she was on. She reached for the card as the attack inched closer to her. Just when she touched the card, the attack hit and a dustcloud covered where she was.

"Kohaku!" her friends cried out.

Everyone was silent at the result of the duel, most of them speechless that the duelist whom they assumed would represent their school was easily beaten.

A snap was heard and everyone's attention was brought to the chandelier.

"Oh?! And who is that up there?!" No one could believe the miracle before them. "It's Kohaku!"

"But how?!" Rose asked.

"Action Magic, Selection of Miracle! During damage calculation, I can choose to either negate my monsters' destruction or reduce any damage I take by half!" As proof of her words, she still had Life Points left.

 **Kohaku: 1000 LP  
Rose: 4000 LP**

"In that case I end my turn," Rose ended. "Now show me, Fiore Kohaku. Show me the best entertainment you can give!"

Taking that challenge, the female Ra nodded her head. "And now I draw!" She drew her next card. She smiled at the sight of it. " _Hello everybody_!" The crowd began to cheer at those two words. " _What time is it_?!"

" _It's time for the Grand Finale_!" they all replied.

"That's right! It is now time for the show to reach its climatic stage!" Kohaku leapt off the chandelier. "I activate the Magic card, Double Performance! This is a Fusion card for 'Circus Freak' monsters! And the cards I'll be fusing are Circus Freak, Time Space Magician and Circus Freak, Flame Archer! Performer of time and space, become one with the accurate performer and give birth to a new flame! FUSION SUMMON! Appear now, great accurate magician! Circus Freak, Archer Magician!" Time Space Magician appeared wearing flaming red clothes with a bow and flaming arrow in hand.

 **Circus Freak Archer Magician: Level 8/DARK/Spellcaster/2000 ATK/2800 DEF**

"And with Flame Archer's effect, since he's sent to the Graveyard, 1000 points of damage is inflicted onto my opponent! **Blaze Arrow**!" The spirit of Flame Archer appeared and shot a fire arrow at Rose.

 **Kohaku: 1000 LP  
Rose: 3000 LP**

"However, that monster doesn't have enough power to overcome Frog 3-Death," Rose pointed out.

"That's right! However, to simply attack for the win is not what a true performer does! From my Graveyard, I activate Acrobalance's effect!"

"Acrobalance?"

"Yes! The card in which you destroyed thanks to your Death Song! I can banish this card and monsters from my Graveyard to Fusion Summon a 'Circus Freak' Fusion Monster who uses them as its materials! The ones I'm banishing are Circus Freak, Time Space Magician and Flame Artist!" Spirits of the called monsters appeared by her side. "Performer or time and space, gain the bonds of your close allies and give birth to a new light! Fusion Summon! Appear now, arcane magician with ancient power! Circus Freak Rune Magician!" The multi-attacking magician appeared on her field.

 **Circus Freak Rune Magician: Level 8/DARK/Spellcaster/3000 ATK/2200 DEF**

"You may have summoned out your true ace, but you still have a problem with my monster!" thefemale Obelisk reminded.

"I know. However, the monster summoned by Acrobalance's second Fusion summon effect against 1000 ATK until the End Phase!" Rune Magician's orb on his staff glowed as he felt power surge through him.

 **Circus Freak Rune Magician: 3000 + 1000 = 4000 ATK**

"With their ATK power the same, Kohaku would only take out half of Rose's Life Points this turn," Kate said.

"That is true. Unless, they take a risk," Kazato added.

The two girls knew what he meant and looked away as Kohaku declared, "Battle! Rune Magician! Attack Frog 3-Death! **Ancient Light Blaster**!" As both monsters fired their attacks, their duelists leapt from book to book to a pair floating side by side. Said books opened up, revealing an Action card in them each.

"Now they both are reaching for an Action Card!" Kazato shouted.

The moment the two girls got to the cards, the attack from both sides hit, causing a huge explosion. The audience held their breath at the result of that battle.

"Action Magic, Burning Barrel!" They gasped at the sound of Rose's voice. "When an opponent's monster is destroyed, half that monster's ATK is inflicted onto the opponent! Which means game over for you!" A barrel appeared and fired fireballs at Kohaku. Everyone looked in worry as the flames were closing in. Then suddenly, the blames were covered in blue aura and redirected to the sky and exploded, much to Rose's shock. "Huh?"

"The damaging flames became fireworks!" Kazato announced. Everyone was entranced by the fireworks.

"Action Magic, Revival! This returns the ATK of one monster to its original ATK!" Kohaku explained. "Which means the damage is sent back at you!" A fireball failed to explode and was falling on Rose, who managed to escape from the burn.

 **Kohaku: 1000 LP  
Rose: 1500 LP**

"The monster summoned by Acrobalance's second effect loses its own effect. However, I still have one more monster! Go, Archer Magician! Attack the player directly! **Hot Burning Arrow**!" The last magician took aim and shot at the Obelisk. The arrow burst before it hit, covering the girl in confetti and ending the duel.

 **Kohaku: 1000 LP  
Rose: 0000 LP**

 **WINNER: KOHAKU!**

"And it's decided! The first to move on is none other than Fiore Kohaku!" Kazato announced, as the field returned to its normal form. Everyone applauded at the amazing duel.

Kohaku approached Rose. "That was an awesome duel!" she commented.

Rose smiled at the comment. "Yeah. It was awesome. And might be the best entertaining duel ever. I won't forget this experience." She held out her hand. Kohaku took it in a handshake as everyone once again applauded for the two.

Kazato looked back at Samejima, who was behind him the whole time. "What do you think?"

"Have I ever doubted you?" he asked back. "This Action Duel... No doubt is the best evolution of dueling."

"I'm glad to see it satisfies you." He turned back to the field as his wife announced the next duelists.

"Now, can we have Yuki Judai and Ayanokouji Mitsuru on the field? Yuki Judai and Ayanokouji Mitsuru to the field for your chance of being our academy's representative," she called.

"Okay! I'm up!" Judai shouted.

"Be careful, Judai. Of what we've seen, Action Duel requires lots of physical strength, if you're going for those Action Cards," Misawa noted.

"Got it. Wish me luck!" With that, he left to the field.


	23. Representative Decisive Tournament Pt2

**Coral: The Representative Tournament part 2! Decided to do two duels instead of one here!... Yeah, that's all I can say for today.** **Anyway, to the story, I do not own any Yugioh. The only OCs I own would be Kohaku and her family. The decks they own are also my doing. Every other OCs and their decks goes to their own creators.**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 ** _*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*_**

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

 _ ***OPENING***_

 ** _(Instrumental)_** _(_ _The scene begins with a nice top view of the island_ _)_

 ** _To the beginning sky... towards the shining light  
_** _(The camera looks up to the sky, having a nice view of it and the sun as the anime logo slowly appeared)  
_ ** _There's nothing to fear... because I'm here..._** _  
(Freakstar Dragon with Naruto on his back and Time Space Magician flew pass the logo the Spellcaster-type shined the crystal ball on his staff, changing the scene)_

 ** _Falling countless times to your knees_** _  
_ ** _Not protecting your own pride  
_** _(Kohaku slipped on a banana peel and was laughed at by many students. She laughed along with them)  
_ ** _Only coming up with just doubts_** _  
_ ** _Do not close your eyes just yet  
_** _(Alex and Bella looked at the scene in slight envy at how she was, in a way, getting along with many others despite her being in Red and daughter of a famous circus' ringmaster and walked their separate ways)_

 ** _I absolutely cannot see  
_** ** _the possibility that's here and now  
_** _(Judai was imagining himself as the next King of Games. Manjoume and his friends along with Chronos glared at how impossible it would be for him while Misawa, Shou and Hayato looked at him with interest or slight admiration)  
_ ** _When these tears turn into rain  
_** ** _I just want you to notice_** _  
(Asuka and Ryou were at the entrance of the Abandon Dorm and stared at a picture of the latter's brother with determination)_

 ** _Spit out all the vexing things  
_** ** _Because there's a meaning for taking things  
_** _(Bella was remembering the time when she was younger, getting bullied and being isolated by others because of her powers. Her patience went to her limit as she accidentally summoned a monster and released it onto them)  
_ ** _Even if you desire everything, you don't need to grasp it all  
_** _(_ _Alex was remembering when he was accepted into Duel Academy and told the principal that he wished to start at the lowest rank, just to be bullied by those of a higher rank_ _)  
_ ** _Just keep a hold of one most important thing_** _  
(Kohaku placed her hands on their shoulders and snapped them out of the memory lane and smiled at them then pushed them to the rest of their friends)_

 ** _In the beginning of the sky, I welcome you  
_** ** _do not ever look back just look forward  
_** _(Judai had out Flame Wingman, who fought against Chronos' Antique Gear Golem and Asuka's Cyber Blader, as Kohaku had out Time Space Magician, who was going head-to-head against Alex's Light and Darkness Dragon and Bella's Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama)  
_ ** _If you feel the wind on your back  
_** ** _then there won't be anything to worry about_** _  
(Shou and his monsters were looking at his brother and his monsters with determination, who smirked in approval, causing the younger sibling to smile back)_

 ** _If you would look around, you'd see all these smiling faces  
_** _(In another realm, it showed all of Kohaku, Bella, Alex, Judai, Shou, Hayato, and Asuka's monsters smiling at the camera)  
_ ** _Do not carry everything by yourself  
_** _(Kohaku was looking at her late sister's deck in her hand with a solemn look, the deck's monster spirits floating right by her side)  
_ ** _Don't rush either, the answer is along the way  
_** _(The scene turned dark and the whole gang were running towards the light)  
_ ** _you'll definitely find it for sure_** _  
(They arrived at a lighthouse, looking up at the night sky)_

* * *

After an exciting introduction of how an Action Duel is played, Judai and Mitsuru both entered the field.

"Judai-kun. I see that we can duel at last," Mitsuru said. Judai nodded at his statement. Before he could say anything in response to that... "Today marks the day we truly decides who gets to be Asuka-kun's fiancee!"

"Huh?!" everyone in the stadium gasped.

"That guy is still up on that?!" Shou shouted in shock.

"And to think he learned..." Alex groaned.

Asuka hid from her spot, in an attempt to hide her embarrassment from the attention she was suddenly getting from some people around her. "That idiot..."

" _Wowza._ I truly didn't expect that," Kazato said.

"I don't think any of us expected to hear that at all," Kate told him. "And by the looks of it, I'd say that the girl in question wanted nothing to do with what he had said."

"I don't!" Asuka shouted in confirmation.

"Look on the bright side. Judai still doesn't know about your feeling for him," Kohaku said to her.

Back in the stadium, Mitsuru seemed to have ignored everything going on around him. "I will definitely beat you and have Asuka's hand in marriage!"

"She just said she wants nothing to do with this bet," Kate told him, in which he disregarded.

"And after I'm done with you, I will have my revenge on Bella for the humiliation she had caused me! Although it was temporary, I was treated like I was a girl rather than a guy I am! And soon I will pay her pack tenfold! No, a hundredfold!"

"If you weren't so arrogant and didn't steal my card, it wouldn't have happened!" Bella shouted.

"Now, now," Jacko tried to calm her.

"I don't know what's going on, but bring it on!" Judai challenged.

Kohaku's parents both looked at each other and sighed, as the mother chose a field. "Well, in any case. Shall we get started? Action Field on! Field Magic, Sports Arena, activate!" The field changed once again. This time into a track field, mixed with a football field in the middle, basketball hoops and soccer goals. There's also a baseball field in the center .

"Do our contestants remember the oath?" Kazato asked.

"Yeah!" Judai replied, as Mitsuru simply nodded.

"Then prove it to me!"

"Duelists locked in battle!" Judai started.

"Kicking against the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters!" Mitsuru followed.

"They storm through this field!"

"Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling!"

"Action! DUEL!" both shouted in unison.

 **Mitsuru: 4000 LP**  
 **Judai: 4000 LP**

"I go first! Draw!" Mitsuru drew his sixth card. "I summon Vijam the Direction World Seed!" A blue ball with an eye at the center, small blue, devil-like wings and an eye coming out from the top appeared on the field in Defense Mode.

 **Vijam the Direction World Seed: Level 1/DARK/Fiend/0 ATK/0 DEF**

"Eh? What happened to your other deck?" Judai asked.

"I discarded it and started to train myself with this one. And believe me, this deck is way better and stronger!" Mitsuru replied.

"You can't do that! A duelist's deck is their soul!"

"Says who?! I set one card face-down and end my turn!"

Judai gritted his teeth. "If that's how things are going to be... My turn! Draw!" When he looked at his hand, he saw one, small error. "Ahh! This isn't my deck!"

"Eh?!" everyone gasped.

"Whose deck is he using then?" Kohaku asked, looking over both her decks.

"My deck is here," Shou said.

"So is mine," Misaza followed.

"Ahh! He's using me second deck!" Bella shouted.

"Eeeeh?!" her friends gasped.

Kate seemed uneasy about the situation. "Hmm... This is kind of troublesome. If a duelist isn't using their deck, they can't duel at their fullest."

"Who cares what kind of deck they're using?" Kazato asked. Everyone all had their eyes on him. "If they're a true duelist... They should be able to duel no matter what deck they use! So what if it's only made of trap cards? So what if it only has Magic cards? I could care less if a deck has nothing but Level 1 monsters. A deck is a deck. And all decks have a winning method. It is a duelist's job to discover that method!"

Everyone was touched by Kazato's speech, especially Judai. Hearing those words, he disregarded the fact that he wasn't using his 'Hero' deck. "I summon Seven Military Sea Pirate, Buggy!" A pirate who looks like a clown appeared on the field.

 **Seven Military Sea Pirate, Buggy: Level 4/EARTH/Warrior/1500 ATK/1200 DEF**

"Huh? Who are you?! You're not Bella!" Buggy demanded.

"It's okay. I'm a friend," Judai assured. "But more importantly, we have a Duel to win." Buggy looked back to the front and saw that he was true to his words.

"All right, fine. I guess I'll team up with you."

"Great. Then attack Mitsuru directly!"

Mitsuru, discarding the fact that Judai was talking to a hologram, said to him, "You're a fool! You can't attack directly!"

"With Buggy's effect, he can attack directly!"

" **Bara Bara Cannon!** " Buggy's hand, filled with knives, shot itself to the opposing duelist, dealing damage to him.

 **Mitsuru: 3250 LP**  
 **Judai: 4000 LP**

"When he inflicts damage this way, the damage is half his ATK. I set one card face-down and end my turn," Judai ended.

"My turn. Draw!" Mitsuru drew his next card. "I activate Geira Guile the Direction World King's effect from my hand! By sending a 'Direction World' monster I control the the Graveyard, I can Special Summon this card from my hand!" A green monster with featherless wings appeared on the field.

 **Geira Guile the Direction World King: Level 2/WIND/Fairy/0 ATK/0 DEF**

"When this card is summoned this way, he against 800 ATK!" Said monster glowed a green aura as its power rose.

 **Geira Guile the Direction World King: 0 + 800 = 800 ATK**

"Also, if this card is Special Summoned from my hand, I can inflict 800 points of damage to my opponent!" Sparks were being produced from the monster as it shot out a beam of lightning at Judai and shocked him.

 **Mitsuru: 3250 LP**  
 **Judai: 3200 LP**

"Indirect approach? Not bad," Kazato stated.

"Next, I summon Duja, the Meteoric Direction World Vessel!" A black legless machine with a red mark on the front appeared on the field.

 **Duja, the Meteoric Direction World Vessel: Level 4/LIGHT/Machine/1600 ATK/1600 DEF**

"When Duja is summoned, I can send one 'Direction World' card from my deck to my Graveyard! I will send Dark Garnex the Direction World Beast to my Graveyard!" He sent a card from his deck to the Graveyard. "And if a monster was sent to my Graveyard while I control this card, for each monster with different name in my Graveyard, it gains 200 more ATK!" Two monster spirits appeared and fused with Duja.

 **Duja, the Meteoric Direction World Vessel: 1600 + 200 x 2 = 1600 + 400 = 2000 ATK**

At the rise of the ATK power, Judai ran off to find an Action Card. "Battle! I attack Buggy with Duja!" The Machine-type monster raised its arm as it charged at the clown pirate.

Judai, on the other hand, found an Action Card. "There's one!" He picked it up and, to his confusion, saw that it was a trap card. "Huh? A Trap Card? **_Field Injury_**. Target one monster on your field; that monster loses half of its ATK and its effect until the End Phase. Eh? EEH?!" All of a sudden, a soccer ball was shot at Buggy and hit him... Where guys don't like to be hit, as he covered his injury and fell on his knees in pain.

 **Seven Military Sea Pirate, Buggy: 1500 / 2 = 750 ATK**

 _ **(Field Injury: Action Trap: Target one monster on your field. That monster loses half its ATK and its effect until the End Phase.)**_

Everyone in the audience, especially the guys, winced in pain at the sight, as Duja went and destroyed the pirate.

 **Mitsuru: 3250 LP**  
 **Judai: 1950 LP**

"Oh! Now that's what I call backfire!" Kazato said.

"Wouldn't expect it to be that easy," Kate agreed.

"What just happened?!" Hayato asked.

"That was an Action Trap," Kohaku replied. "Remember what my dad said about how Action cards can also turn against you? That's how."

"I see... So there's also a chance of getting cards that assists your opponent," Misawa analyzed.

Back on the field, Judai got back on his feet. "Ow... That was unexpected. But it looks like I have to be even more careful," he muttered.

"Next I attack directly with Geira!" Mitsuru declared. His weaker monster went and attacked Judai.

 **Mitsuru: 3250 LP**  
 **Judai: 1150 LP**

"After this card battled, I can target up to two Vijam the Direction World Seed in my Graveyard and, sending this card to my Graveyard, Special Summon that card!" The green Fairy-type was having cracks all over it and broke into many pieces. The pieces reformed themselves into Vijam, again in Defense Mode. "Then I add Vulcan Dragni the Direction World King to my hand!" He added the said card to his hand. "I end my turn. At this time, Duja's ATK returns to normal."

 **Duja, the Meteoric Direction World Vessel: 2000 - 400 = 1600 ATK**

"My turn! Draw!" Judai drew his next card. "If I control no monsters on the field and my Life Points are at least 2000 points lower than my opponent's, I Special Summon Seven Military Sea Pirate, Trafalgar Law!" A slim man wearing a white fur hat with brown spots appeared on the field. He wore a black and yellow hoodie and blue jeans with brown spots on them. In his hand was a sword.

 **Seven Military Sea Pirate, Trafalgar Law: Level 6/WATER/2600 ATK/2000 DEF**

"If he's summoned this way, his ATK and DEF is swapped and I gain Life Points equal to the amount I had lost from the most recent Battle or Card effect!" Law took out a vile from his pocket and tossed it at Judai. The duelist caught the vile and drank it up, regaining 800 of his Life Points.

 **Seven Military Sea Pirate, Trafalgar law: 2600 -} 2000 ATK/2000 -} 2600 DEF**

 **Mitsuru: 3250 LP**  
 **Judai: 1950 LP**

"Battle! I attack with Duja! And when Trafalgar Law attacks, my opponent cannot activate Magic or Trap cards!" the Osiris then declared.

" **Room: Shambles!** " Trafalgar summoned a force field that covered the field. He quickly unsheathed his weapon and swiped it at his opponent, instantly cutting him in half and destroyed him.

 **Mitsuru: 2850 LP**  
 **Judai: 1950 LP**

"I activate the Trap Card, Time Machine! The moment a monster is destroyed, I can Special Summon back on the field in the field in the position it was in!" As though it never left the smoke lifted and Duja was still on the field.

"I end my turn," Judai ended.

"My turn. Draw!" Mitsuru drew his next card. "By sending Vijam and Duja to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon Vulcan Dragni the Direction World King!" The two monsters were released as a red, machine-like monster with blades appeared on the field.

 **Vulcan Dragni the Direction World King: Level 3/FIRE/Fairy/0 ATK/0 DEF**

"When summoned this way, he gains 1600 ATK and inflicts 800 points of damage to my opponent!" The newly summoned monster shot its blades out at Judai.

 **Vulcan Dragni the Direction World King: 0 + 1600 = 1600 ATK**

 **Mitsuru: 2850 LP**  
 **Judai: 1150 LP**

"However Trafalgar is still the stronger monster," Judai pointed out.

"I activate the Continuous Magic, Direction World Karma!" Mitsuru continued. "By sending a number of Vijam the Direction World Seed from my hand or deck to my Graveyard, a 'Direction World' monster I control gains 800 ATK for each! I send two of those cards from my deck to the Graveyard and give Vulcan Dragni 1600 more ATK!" A pair of Vijam spirits appeared and granted the said monster more power.

 **Vulcan Dragni the Direction World King: 1600 + 1600 = 3200 ATK**

At the massive boost, Judai ran to find another Action Card. "You're running for an Action Card? Didn't you pay attention to what happened earlier? Action Field is no good for an Osiris like you," Mitsuru boasted. "Battle! I attack Trafalgar with Vulcan!" Vulcan Dragni shot all of its blades at Trafalgar, who readied himself for the pain.

Judai, on the other hand, found an card on the tracks and snatched it off. He grimaced at the card he found, not because it was an Action Trap, but because... "Action Magic, _**Monster Barrier**_! If I control a monster during battle, I take no damage!" The blades all turned into soccer balls and Trafalgar was in a soccer goalie's uniform. The balls all hit him and knocked him out.

 _ **(Monster Barrier: Action Magic: During the Battle Phase, if you control a monster(s), you take no Battle Damage this turn.)**_

"Che. Managed to protect yourself, I see. I activate Vulcan Dragni's effect! After this card battles, I send this card to the Graveyard and Special Summon up to three Vijam the Direction World Seed from my Graveyard." The FIRE monster was split into three Vijams, all in Defense Mode. "Then I add an Indiora Doom Volt the Direction World King from my deck to my hand!" Said card was added to his hand. "Also, Direction World Karma's second effect! If a Vijam the Direction World Seed was Special Summoned by the effect of a Cubic Monster, by sending this card to the Graveyard, my opponent's Life Points is halved and I get to add a 'Direction World' monster from my deck to my hand!" A fire tornado appeared and engulfed Judai.

"Judai/Aniki!" his friends called in a worried tone.

 **Mitsuru: 2850 LP**  
 **Judai: 575 LP**

As soon as that was over, Judai decided to just run and look for more Action cards, in which Mitsuru noticed. "I won't let you get the advantage!" He went to look for some himself. "I set one card face down and end my turn!"

"My turn! Draw!" Judai drew his next card. "I summon Straw Hat Pirate, Luffy!" The Straw Hat wearing pirate appeared on the field.

 **Straw Hat Pirate, Luffy: Level 4/FIRE/Warrior/1800 ATK/2100 DEF**

"Yosh! It's my turn!" he cheered.

"And I activate the Equip Magic, Armament Haki! This gives Luffy 600 more ATK and the ability to inflict piercing damage to my opponent!" Luffy's arms were coated in black metal.

 **Straw Hat Pirate: Luffy: 1800 + 600 = 2400 ATK**

"Battle! I attack one of your Vijam with Luffy!" Judai declared.

" **Gomu Gomu no Pistol!** " Luffy threw a punch at one of the Defense Position monsters.

"Trap card, Holy Javelin! This card increases my Life Points by the ATK of one attacking monster!" Mitsuru defended. A javelin with a winged crown on the blade side appeared and went to the attacked Vijam's wing as it used the weapon to block Luffy's attack. After the stalemate, the weapon was destroyed, but not the monster that was using it.

"Vijam the Direction World Seed cannot be destroyed by battle!" the 'Direction World' duelist explained. "However, after this card battles an opponent's monster, this card is then treated as a Continuous Magic!" The wings and eye were folded into the spherical body. "Also, the monster that battled it gains a Direction World Counter!" The Vijam that was treated as a Continuous Magic shot a beam at Luffy. The next thing everyone knew, he was suddenly trapped in a cube.

"Hey! What the hell is this?! Let me out!" the pirate demanded.

"What did you do to Luffy?!" Judai demanded.

"Monsters with a Direction World Counter can't attack or activate their effects!" Mitsuru explained.

Judai's friends gasped at that effect.

"Anita's monsters can't attack?!" Shou gasped.

"That's one scary Counter," Seth stated.

"And the only way to get rid of Counters is if a monster that benefits them removes them itself," Alex said.

"Or if there's a card that has to do with Counters," Tiffany added.

"And not only that, but Luffy also lost his indestructible ability," Ryo added.

Judai looked back at his hand and took a card from among them. "I set one card face-down and end my turn!"

"Judai seemed to be on the struggle now. Would you say that this is a start of Mitsuru's comeback, Kate?" Kazato asked.

"Let's find out on his turn, Kazato," she replied.

"My turn! Draw!" Mitsuru drew his next card. "And now you will fall, Yuki Judai! If Vijam is treated as a Continuous Magic during my Main Phase, I can summon it onto the field as a monster!" The Vijam in the back row moved up, unfolding its wings and eye. "Then by sending these three Vijams to the Graveyard, I Special Summon Indiora Doom Volt the Direction World King from my hand!" A light blue monster generating electricity appeared on the field.

 **Indiora Doom Volt the Direction World King: Level 4/LIGHT/Fairy/0 ATK/0 DEF**

"When summoned this way, he gains 2400 ATK and, like the other two 'Direction World' monsters, inflict 800 points of damage to my opponent! It's over!" The monster shot out lightning at Judai.

"Aniki, look out!" Shou shouted.

Judai found and picked up an Action Card and used it. "Action Magic, Energy Mate! My Life Points goes up by 500 points!" A snack bar appeared in his hand as he quickly gobbled it up.

 **Mitsuru: 2850 LP**  
 **Judai: 275 LP**

 **Indiora Doom Volt the Direction World King: 0 + 2400 = 2400 ATK**

His friends sighed in relief to see his Life Points didn't reach zero.

"That was close," Bella said.

"You said it," Jacko agreed.

Mitsuru's smirk never left his face, however. "From my hand, by revealing three 'Direction World' cards from my hand, I Special Summon Crimson Nova of the Dark Direction World God!" He revealed two different 'Direction World' monsters from his hand and a 'Direction World' Trap card from his hand. The field had turned dark as a purple monster with a glowing cube as the head appeared on the field. It also had mechanical arms with blades at the end.

 **Crimson Nova of the Dark Direction World God: Level 10/DARK/Fiend/3000 ATK/0 DEF**

"That monster has more than enough power to finish this duel!" Tiffany said.

"Battle! I attack Luffy with Crimson Nova! **Dark** **Crimson Cutter!** " The high-level monster's blades were being filled with energy. Once they were completely filled, it tossed the blades at him.

"Judai!" Asuka cried out.

"Trap card open! Defense Draw! If I were to take damage from battle, I can reduce that damage to zero!" As the attack hit Luffy, a barrier appeared and protected Judai from the damage he would've taken. "Then I draw a card from my deck!

Now Mitsuru was annoyed at Judai's defense. "I activate the Magic card, Dian Keto the God of Healing to increase my Life Points by 1000!"

 **Mitsuru: 3850 LP**  
 **Judai: 275 LP**

"He's increasing his Life Points now?" Shou questioned.

"Doing that definitely means one of his monsters have a risky effect," Ryo said.

"I end my turn. And at this time, Crimson Nova's effect activates! Both players take 3000 damage!" Everyone gasped at the nasty effect. "My Life Points is over 3000, so I'm safe from losing. You, on the other hand, Yuki Judai, have only hundreds of Life Points left! You lose!" Both of Crimson Nova''s blades were engulfed in flames as it slammed them both down on both players.

Judai saw an Action card on the edge of a basketball hoop and, with Luffy's help, went to it. The flames on the oncoming blade shot out and exploded where the original 'Hero' duelist was.

"Judai!" his friends cried out.

All was silent, wondering if he had or hadn't survived that attack. Their question was answered, when they heard a familiar scream.

"Whooooooooaaaaaaa!" Judai flew out of the smoke, a jetpack on his back. He clearly had no control over his flying skills as he was screaming, "Someone! Stop me!" The jetpack was slowly running out of fuel as it slowly descended onto the ground, causing Judai to land and skid on his face.

"WHAT?! Don't tell me you're still in the game!" Mitsuru demanded.

Judai, dizzy from his flight, replied, "I-I did. Action Magic, Acceleration. Effect damage inflicted onto me becomes zero."

 **Mitsuru: 850 LP**  
 **Judai: 275 LP**

"Now that's what I call a save! Judai proved to be extremely athletic to be able to get that card!" Kazato stated.

Mitsuru gritted his teeth in frustration. "There is no way you're going to beat me, Yuki Judai!"

Judai shook his head to get the dizziness away. "But I will. After all, I'm not one for losing! My turn! Draw!" Judai drew his next card. He smiled at the card he drew. "I activate the Magic card, Pirates Rebellion! By banishing a number of 'Pirate' monsters from my hand and/or Graveyard, I can Special Summon a 'Rebel' monster from my hand whose Level is the same as the number of monsters banished this way! I banish from my Graveyard, Seven Military Sea Pirate, Buggy, Trafalgar Law, and Straw Hat Pirate Luffy from my Graveyard and Straw Hat Pirate Usopp, Robin and Chopper from my hand to summon out Crossdressing Rebel, Ivankov!" A portal was opened and a large man with a purple afro appeared on the field. His full-body appearance was... unique, for lack of better word. He wore female garments and heavy makeup on his face, as well as a crown on his head, a necklace and fishnet stockings.

 **Crossdressing Rebel,** **Ivankov: Level 6/DARK/Warrior/2600 ATK/1700 DEF**

Seeing the monster sent chills down everyone's spine.

"Bella, what's with these monsters of your's?" Alex dared to ask.

"Ah ha ha ha..." the girl simply laughed nervously.

Out of everyone, Mitsuru had the worse reaction of all.

"AAAAHHHHHH! It's you! The thing that humiliated me!" he pointed.

"How rude, Mitsu-boy! And after I had showed you the wonders of being a lady!" Ivankov retorted. "And you do not refer a girl as a 'thing'!"

"You're a girl?" Judai asked, not loud enough for everyone else to hear. He then shrugged it off and continued his turn. "Oh well. When Ivankov is Special Summoned, all monsters on the field have their ATK and DEF switched! This includes Ivankov himself!" The okama leapt over to the monster, nails growing long enough to be sharp claws. He stabbed Indiora and Crimson Nova with them, then to himself. For the Fairy and Field-type monsters, nothing seemed to be happening, until both were starting to shrink down, small enough to be the same height as Vijam.

"How does it feel, young ones?" Ivankov asked. The audience saw that his whole form changed. What was once a man was now a woman in the garments and accessories.

 **Indiora Doom Volt the Direction World King: 2400 -} 0 ATK/0 -} 2400 DEF**

 **Crimson Nova of the Dark Direction World God: 3000 -} 0 ATK/0 -} 3000 DEF**

 **Crossdressing Rebel, Ivankov: 2600 -} 1700 ATK/1700 -} 2600 DEF**

"What just happened?" Asuka asked her fellow female Obelisk.

"That would be Ivankov's effect," Bella replied.

"What a weird sight to see, for an effect," Ryo said, sweat dropping a little.

Judai didn't seem to be affected by the change so much like everyone else. "Battle! I attack Crimson Nova with Ivankov!"

" **Death Wink!** " Ivankov simply winked at the monster and a blast of air pressure was sent at his opponent, sending him flying and into a soccer goal, ending the duel.

 **Mitsuru: 000 LP**  
 **Judai: 275 LP**

 **WINNER: JUDAI!**

Everyone cheered at the result as the field changed back to normal.

"And that is it! The winner of this match and going on to the next round is Yuki Judai!" Kazato announced.

"Nice one, Aniki!" Shou cheered.

"Great job advancing to the next round!" Hayato followed.

"Congratulations, Yuki Judai. Now, if we can have Muramasa Seth and Gokaido Houzan on the field for the next match, please?" Kate requested. The two boys got up from their spot and made their way down, Mitsuru and Judai returning to their seats, the former mourning as he did so.

* * *

Both Seth and Houzan were down on the field. Houzan was an Obelisk blue male with brown, spiky hair.

"So you're the so-called prodigy?" Houzan asked.

"And what if I am?" Seth asked back.

Houzan scoffed at his response. "I say, you're nothing but a fraud. You must've cheated your way here and bribed the examiner to let you win! Well I'm going to to put an end to your lies! What do you say? Loser gets expelled?" The audience all muttered at the bet Houzan was making.

"Hey! You can't just make bets!" Kate scolded.

"No, wait," Kazato stopped her. "This is getting interesting actually."

"Someone of your age is years way early for a place like this. Beating you would just put you in your place," the Obelisk continued.

Seth, although not showing it, was getting quite annoyed at his ranting. "If you have the energy to brag, then you should have the energy to duel. I accept your challenge!" The audience, especially his friends, were shocked at his decision.

"What is he thinking?!" Shou questioned. "He can't accept that bet!"

"If he doesn't, he wouldn't be a man," Kohaku said. Everyone turned to her. "If he's a man, he should accept and overcome any challenges."

"You believe in him, don't you?" Jacko asked.

"Of what I know, he looks up to me. And if he's a fan, he should give everything he got and end this duel with a bang."

Kazato seemed to have the same thought, as he let the conditions be as they are. "Now then, without further ado, _let's get on with the show_!"

Kate selected a field. "Action Field, on! Field Magic, Frontier Fang Castle activate!" The field changed into a weird looking castle in the woods, with lots of broken bridges around the castle. Both Seth and Houzan were standing on one of the castle's balcony.

"Duelists locked in battle!" the Ra started.

"Kicking against the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters!" followed the Obelisk.

"They storm through this field!"

"Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling!"

"Action! DUEL!" both shouted in unison.

 **Seth: 4000 LP**  
 **Houzan: 4000 LP**

"I'll be nice and let you start first, kid," Houzan mocked.

Seth just glared at the boy. "I draw!" He drew his sixth card. "I summon Darkus Siege in Defense Mode!" His black armored warrior with a purple cape and a black spear appeared on the field.

 **Darkus Siege: Level 3/DARK/Warrior/1800 ATK/1000 DEF**

"I set two cards face-down and end my turn!"

"You summon a monster with a weak Defense in Defense Mode? Ha! What a novice mistake!" Houzan insulted. "Let me show you how an elite summons a monster. Draw!" He drew his next card. "I summon Gaia Lord the Dark Knight!" Rather than the original horse-riding Gaia the Dark Knight, a dragon-riding Gaia appeared. The dragon the warrior was on was orange and had on a red helmet.

 **Gaia Lord the Dark Knight: Level 7/EARTH/Warrior/2300 ATK/2100 DEF**

"How was he able to summon that out?" Tiffany asked.

"If not because of its Level, then it must be because of its effect," Ryo answered.

"Gaia Lord can be Special Summoned from my hand if I control no monsters while my opponent does control a monster," Houzan explained. "Battle! I attack Darkus Siege with Gaia Lord! **Lord S** **piral Shaver**!" His monster charged at Siege, who placed his weapon up to defend himself and successfully block the attack. "What?!"

"Once per turn, Siege cannot be destroyed by battle while in Defense Mode," Seth explained.

Houzan gritted his teeth as he continued his turn. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

""

"My turn. Draw!" The Ra drew his next card. He then leapt off the balcony. "I summon Darkus Falconeer!" His black-winged purple humanoid falcon appeared and grabbed his master by the shoulders, safely landing him on the ground.

 **Darkus** **Falconeer: Level 3/DARK/Winged-Beast/1600 ATK/500 DEF**

"Battle! I attack with Darkus Falconeer!"

"You must be a fool!" Houzan exclaimed. "Gaia Lord has a higher ATK than your puny monster!"

"Who said he was battling Gaia Lord?" The Obelisk raised a brow at the response. "Falconeer can attack directly! **Falcon Strike**!" The bird bypassed Gaia Lord and scratched the Warrior-type monster's duelist.

 **Seth: 4000 LP**  
 **Houzan: 3200 LP**

"Once he inflicts Battle Damage this way, the damage is halved. I end my turn."

Houzan glared at the young Ra. "You'll pay for that! My turn! Draw!" As he drew his card, Houzan got on his monster as they flew down in search for an Action Card as well. "I activate the Magic card, Graceful Charity! I draw three cards and discard two cards from my hand!" He drew and discarded some cards. "Next I activate the Magic Card, Feast of the Wild LV5! With this card I can Special Summon up to two Level 5 Warrior-type monsters from my hand and/or Graveyard! From my Graveyard, I summon General Freed and Monster Tamer!" A warrior who seemed to be from a royal family in silver armor and a slightly muscular arabic guy with a whip in his hand appeared on the field.

 **General Freed: Level 5/EARTH/Warrior/2300 ATK/1700 DEF**

 **Monster Tamer: Level 5/EARTH/Warrior/1800 ATK/1600 DEF**

"Next I activate Turret Warrior's effect from my hand! By released a Warrior-type monster from my field, I can Special Summon this card from my hand!" Monster Tamer was suddenly wrapped in clay. The clay formed and hardened into Houzan's new monster.

 **Turret Warrior: Level 5/EARTH/Warrior/1200 ATK/2000 DEF**

"And when this card is summoned this way, it gains ATK equal to the original ATK of the monster that was used to summon it!" The newly summoned monster had a yellow aura surrounding it.

 **Turret Warrior: 1200 + 1800 = 3000 ATK**

"I activate the Magic card, Silent Doom to summon Monster Tamer back form the Graveyard!" Said monster returned from the grave. "And finally, I activate the Magic card, Fusion! With this card I fuse Monster Tamer and Black Dragon Jungle King into First of the Dragons, Wyrm!" The two monsters appeared and fused into a purple scaled dragons with icy-blue spikes.

 **First of the Dragons, Wyrm: Level 9/DARK/Dragon/2700 ATK/2000 DEF**

To say the audience was shocked would be an understatement, for Houzan now had a field filled with powerful monsters.

"If all those attacks hit, Seth would lose!" Asuka stated.

"Battle! General Freed attacks Falconeer!" At Houzan's order, General Freed leapt into the air and began to swing his sword down on his target.

"Trap Card, open! Blackout!" Seth defended. The whole field became dark. Due to the loss of sight, General Freed stopped his attack. "This turn, my opponent's monsters cannot attack or activate their effects!"

Houzan was getting even more annoyed with his opponent's defensive tactics. "I end my turn!" At his End Phase, the darkness was lifted and both duelists and their monsters regained their vision.

"My turn! Draw!" Seth drew his next card. "I activate the Magic card, Fusion! With this card, I fuse Darkus Hydranoid and Darkus Wormquake from my hand! Great fearsome hydra, gain the power of the terrifying earthworm and give birth to a new power! FUSION SUMMON! Appear now, undying creature of darkness! Darkus Dual Hydranoid!" His two-headed ace monster appeared on the field, allowing Seth to ride on him.

 **Darkus Dual Hydranoid: Level 6/DARK/Dragon/2600 ATK/1300 DEF**

"Gaia Lord's effect activates!" Houzan shouted. "When my opponent special summons a monster with an ATK higher than itself, it gains 700 ATK until the End Phase!"

"I activate Dual Hydranoid's effect! Once per turn, when my opponent activates a card effect, I can negate that effect and give Hydranoid 500 more ATK!" Hydranoid released a deadly roar that caused Gaia Lord and his dragon to cover their ears and cancel their effect.

 **Darkus Dual Hydranoid: 2600 + 500 = 3100 ATK**

"What?!" the Obelisk gasped.

"Now Seth's monster is strong enough against all of Houzan's!" Tiffany stated.

"Let's go, partner!" he said.

"Got it," Dual Hydranoid nodded.

"Battle! Attack General Freed! **Destruction Impact!** " Dual Hydranoid released his upgraded signature move at his target and destroyed him.

 **Seth: 4000 LP**  
 **Houzan: 2600 LP**

"Dual Hydranoid can attack twice per Battle Phase! The next target is Wyrm! **Destruction Impact!** "

"Disappear!" The lower level Fusion Monster shouted as he released another dose of its attack at his second target.

Houzan got an Action Card. "Action Magic, Damage Vanish! If I were to take Battle Damage, that damage is reduced to zero!"

"But Wyrm is still going to be destroyed!" Seth said, as the attack made contact. To everyone's shock, the Fusion Monster was still on the field. "What just happened?!"

"Wyrm can only be destroyed by battle with Normal Monsters!" his opponent smirked.

"In that case, I attack directly with Falconeer! **Falcon Strike!** " The Winged-Beast went in for another direct attack.

Houzan picked up another Action Card. "Action Magic, Avoid! A monster's attack is negated!" He ducked from Falconeer's attack and was safe from the damage.

It was Seth's turn to grit his teeth as he looked down at the only card in his hand. "I set one card face-down and end my turn. At this time, Dual Hydranoid's ATK reverts back to normal."

 **Darkus Dual Hydranoid: 3100 - 500 = 2600 ATK**

"My turn!" Houzan drew a card. He saw another Action card in a tree and snatched it. "This kind of dueling must be for me. I activate the Action Magic, Bi-Attack! I can double the ATK of one monster on my field!"

"I activate Hydranoid's effect! I will negate the effect of Bi-Attack and increase his own ATK!" Seth countered. Hydranoid let out another roar as his power rose.

 **Darkus Dual Hydranoid: 2600 + 500 = 3100 ATK**

"Nice try, kid," he mocked. Not that most people knew what he was saying.

"That's just what I was hoping for." Seth and Hydranoid were confused as to why he had said that. "I activate the Magic card, Fusion Recovery! I add a Fusion and a monster that was used for a Fusion Summon from my Graveyard to my hand! And if I recall, your monster's effect is only once per turn!" He added the said Spell card and Black Dragon the Jungle King to his hand. "Next I activate Fusion! This time I fuse Gaia Lord the Dark Knight with Black Dragon the Jungle King to summon Gaia the Soaring Heaven Dragon Knight!" The knight's armor turned into a golden color as his dragon's armor spread all over its body.

 **Gaia the Soaring Heaven Dragon Knight: Level 7/WIND/Dragon/2600 ATK/2100 DEF**

"And when Soaring Heaven is summoned, I add the Continuous Magic, Spiral Shaver to my hand! And activate it!" The moment he added the card to his hand, he immediately used it. "With this card, Gaia the Soaring Heaven Dragon Knight can inflict piercing damage when attacking a Defense Position Monster! And when Soaring Heaven attacks a monster he can change that monster's battle position!"

Seth and his friends' eyes widened at the effect.

"All of Seth's monster's have low Defense stats!" Alex stated.

"Battle! I attack Dual Hydranoid with Soaring Heaven! **Soaring Spiral Shaver!** " His declared monster went to attack his target. "And with his effect, I switch your monster's Battle Position!" Soaring Heaven's dragon unleashed a terrifying roar of its own, forcing Seth's monster to go into defense.

Hydranoid spotted an Action card on a bush and called to his duelist. "Seth, over there!"

Seth saw the card and ran to it, in which Houzan noticed. "You're not getting that card!" Soaring Heaven's dragon breathed out flames from its mouth, quickly destroying Seth's monster and blowing him and the card away.

 **Seth: 2700 LP  
Houzan: 2600 LP**

The card flew into Houzan's hand, who smirked at the sight. "Too bad for you. This card is no help to you anyway. Action Magic, Illusion Fire! I target one monster I control! This turn, it can attack a number of times equal to the number of monsters I control! Besides Soaring Heaven, I also control Wyrm, and Turret Warrior! That makes a total of three monsters! So now Soaring Heaven can attack two more times! And now I attack your Defense Position Siege! And with Spiral Shaver's effect, take the piercing damage! **Soaring Spiral Shaver!** "

"Trap card open! Hungering Shadows!" Seth shouted. "For each DARK monster I control, my opponent's monsters lose 500 ATK and DEF! There are now two on my field, so that's 1000 points each!" Shadows appeared and clung onto Houzan's monsters, as they got weaker.

 **Gaia the Soaring Heaven Dragon Knight: 2600 - 1000 = 1600 ATK/2100 - 1000 = 1100 DEF**

 **First of the Dragon, Wyrm: 2700 - 1000 = 1700 ATK/2000 - 1000 = 1000 DEF**

 **Turret Warrior: 3000 - 1000 = 2000 ATK/2000 - 1000 = 1000 DEF**

"You lessened the damage?" Houzan questioned, as his monster's attack hit again.

 **Seth: 2100 LP  
** **Houzan: 2600 LP**

"And with Siege's effect, he isn't destroyed this battle!"

"But he is in this battle! **Soaring Spiral Shaver!** " At Houzan's order, his monster attacked Siege once more, this time destroying him.

 **Seth: 1500 LP  
** **Houzan: 2600 LP**

"Because of Illusion Fire's effect, other monsters I control can't attack. So I will end my turn," Houzan ended.

"At this time, your monster's ATK and DEF are returned to normal," Seth informed.

 **Gaia the Soaring Heaven Dragon Knight: 1600 +** **1000 = 2600 ATK/1100 + 1000 = 2100 DEF**

 **First of the Dragon, Wyrm: 1700 + 1000 = 2700 ATK/1000 + 1000 = 2000 DEF**

 **Turret Warrior: 2000 + 1000 = 3000 ATK/1000 + 1000 = 2000 DEF**

Seth's friends sighed in relief to see that he had survived the assault.

"He somehow survived..." Shou sighed.

"But still, he has this one turn left," Bella pointed out. "If nothing comes to him now, it'll be over for him."

"I believe in him," Kohaku said. "Seth will win this. I won't accept that he's the only one out of all of us who wouldn't make it to the second round."

Back on the field, Seth was panting heavily from all the running, as well as the shockwave he was feeling from the damage he was taking.

"Might as well give up now and save the embarrassment," Houzan spoke. "It's clear enough that you don't belong here. So how about you make this easy for us and surrender?"

"No way! I'm not giving up. Not now, not ever! My turn! Draw!" Seth drew his next card. He smiled at the sight of it.

"First, I activate my last face-down. The Trap card, Fusion Reserve! I reveal one Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck and add one of its Fusion Materials from my deck to my hand and Polymerization from my Graveyard to my hand! The card I'll be revealing is Darkus Alpha Hydranoid!"

"He has another Fusion Monster?" Hayato questioned.

"And one that's stronger than Dual Hydranoid?" Tiffany followed.

"From my deck, I add Darkus Vladitor! And next, I summon Darkus Centipoid!" His centipede-like monster appeared on the field.

 **Darkus Centipoid: Level 4/DARK/Insect/2000 ATK/100 DEF**

"And with Centipoid's effect, I Special Summon Darkus Dual Hydranoid!" His Fusion Monster returned to the field.

"Payback time..." he growled.

"And since he's summoned this way, I take 200 points of damage for each of his level!" Seth was surrounded by a dark purple energy as his own Life Points went further down.

 **Seth: 300 LP  
** **Houzan: 2600 LP**

"What is he thinking? Dealing that much damage to himself," Asuka asked.

"He must have an idea," Kohaku said, her trusted smile not leaving her face.

"You must really want to humiliate yourself, if you summoned a monster that's not even a point higher than any of mine," Houzan said, smirking at his assumed victory.

Seth returned the smirk with his own. "Who said I'll be battling with Dual Hydranoid? I activate the Magic card, Fusion! With this, I fuse Dual Hydranoid with Centipoid! Great undying hydra! Gain the power of the calling centipede and give birth to a new power! FUSION SUMMON! Appear now, great unyielding draconic hydra! Darkus Alpha Hydranoid!" Hydranoid seemed to have evolved as he gained another head, tail and grew wings on his back.

 **Darkus Alpha Hydranoid: Level 8/DARK/Dragon/3000 ATK/2000 DEF**

"An ATK of 3000?!" Houzan gasped.

"Oh yes... This is much better!" Hydranoid roared.

Seth ran to a nearby Action Card as he shouted, "Battle! Alpha Hydranoid! Attack Gaia the Soaring Heaven Dragon Knight! **Indigo Nightmare!** " The three heads each formed a purple energy ball covered in black aura and got ready to fire. "Also, I activate Alpha Hydranoid's effect! When this card attacks an opponent's monster, I can discard one monster card from my hand whose Level is the same as or higher than the target! That target's ATK and DEF goes down by the discarded monster's ATK! In my hand is Darkus Vladitor, a Level 7 monster just like Soaring Heaven! And his ATK is 2600! The same as Soaring Heaven!"

Houzan got off his attacked monster for an Action card at the top of a tree. "Action Magic, Quick Guard! I can change an Attack Position monster on the field to Defense! And I will use this on your Alpha Hydranoid!" The Action Magic shot out a beam at its intended target. Just when it looked like it would hit, Falconeer got in the way and was affected instead. "What?!"

"Action Magic, Guard Cover! This turn, each time my opponent uses a card or effect that targets only one monster on my field, I can change that target to another monster! Falconeer was also in Defense Mode!"

"But then... That means..."

"Alpha Hydranoid's effect and attack goes through! **Destroy Vanish!** " Hydranoid shot out wires from its sides and wrapped them around his target. The spirit of Vladitor was seen by his side as he went and combined himself with the opposing monster, sapping his strength away.

 **Gaia the Soaring Heaven Dragon Knight: 2600 - 2600 = 0 ATK**

Once his energy was sapped, Alpha Hydranoid released his triple energy balls at his opponent. The attack hit and destroyed him, as well as ending the duel.

 **Seth: 300 LP  
** **Houzan: 0000 LP**

 **WINNER: SETH!**

"And there we have it! Seth is the third duelist to advance on to the next round!" Kazato announced. "As for Houzan... Samejima? What has become of him?"

Every student looked at the headmaster, all wondering the same thing.

"That bet is nothing but a childish grudge, I'm sure. I'll let this slide," he simply said, much to their shock. Houzan was more shocked at the decision.

"You're saying that when in truth, you were too focused on the duel to pay attention to the things going on beforehand, were you?" Kate guessed.

"What? Of course not." Kate raised a brow. "Okay, maybe a little bit." Samejima turned to Kazato. "You're wife is quite sharp," he whispered.

"I know," he whispered back. "Now than, without any further interruptions, what do you say we get on with the next match?!" Everyone went wild at the suggestion.

"In that case, will Alejandro Nagase and Torimaki Taiyou come down, please?" Kate called.

"This should be easy for you," Kohaku said to Alex.

"Is that a challenge?" he asked?

"Oh I don't know? Maybe it is, maybe it isn't."

' _And there they go again,_ ' most of the group thought, as Alex walked down to the field for his duel.


	24. Representative Decisive Tournament Pt3

**Coral: The Representative Tournament part 3! At first, I wanted to finish the first round of the tournament in this chapter, but I thought against it. Now, you all know the deal. I don't own any Yugioh things. I own Kohaku, her family and their decks. All the other OCs are from their respective creators.**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 ** _*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*_**

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

 _ ***OPENING***_

 ** _(Instrumental)_** _(_ _The scene begins with a nice top view of the island_ _)_

 ** _To the beginning sky... towards the shining light  
_** _(The camera looks up to the sky, having a nice view of it and the sun as the anime logo slowly appeared)  
_ ** _There's nothing to fear... because I'm here..._** _  
(Freakstar Dragon with Naruto on his back and Time Space Magician flew pass the logo the Spellcaster-type shined the crystal ball on his staff, changing the scene)_

 ** _Falling countless times to your knees_** _  
_ ** _Not protecting your own pride  
_** _(Kohaku slipped on a banana peel and was laughed at by many students. She laughed along with them)  
_ ** _Only coming up with just doubts_** _  
_ ** _Do not close your eyes just yet  
_** _(Alex and Bella looked at the scene in slight envy at how she was, in a way, getting along with many others despite her being in Red and daughter of a famous circus' ringmaster and walked their separate ways)_

 ** _I absolutely cannot see  
_** ** _the possibility that's here and now  
_** _(Judai was imagining himself as the next King of Games. Manjoume and his friends along with Chronos glared at how impossible it would be for him while Misawa, Shou and Hayato looked at him with interest or slight admiration)  
_ ** _When these tears turn into rain  
_** ** _I just want you to notice_** _  
(Asuka and Ryou were at the entrance of the Abandon Dorm and stared at a picture of the latter's brother with determination)_

 ** _Spit out all the vexing things  
_** ** _Because there's a meaning for taking things  
_** _(Bella was remembering the time when she was younger, getting bullied and being isolated by others because of her powers. Her patience went to her limit as she accidentally summoned a monster and released it onto them)  
_ ** _Even if you desire everything, you don't need to grasp it all  
_** _(_ _Alex was remembering when he was accepted into Duel Academy and told the principal that he wished to start at the lowest rank, just to be bullied by those of a higher rank_ _)  
_ ** _Just keep a hold of one most important thing_** _  
(Kohaku placed her hands on their shoulders and snapped them out of the memory lane and smiled at them then pushed them to the rest of their friends)_

 ** _In the beginning of the sky, I welcome you  
_** ** _do not ever look back just look forward  
_** _(Judai had out Flame Wingman, who fought against Chronos' Antique Gear Golem and Asuka's Cyber Blader, as Kohaku had out Time Space Magician, who was going head-to-head against Alex's Light and Darkness Dragon and Bella's Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama)  
_ ** _If you feel the wind on your back  
_** ** _then there won't be anything to worry about_** _  
(Shou and his monsters were looking at his brother and his monsters with determination, who smirked in approval, causing the younger sibling to smile back)_

 ** _If you would look around, you'd see all these smiling faces  
_** _(In another realm, it showed all of Kohaku, Bella, Alex, Judai, Shou, Hayato, and Asuka's monsters smiling at the camera)  
_ ** _Do not carry everything by yourself  
_** _(Kohaku was looking at her late sister's deck in her hand with a solemn look, the deck's monster spirits floating right by her side)  
_ ** _Don't rush either, the answer is along the way  
_** _(The scene turned dark and the whole gang were running towards the light)  
_ ** _you'll definitely find it for sure_** _  
(They arrived at a lighthouse, looking up at the night sky)_

* * *

It was now Alex's time to duel against his opponent, Taiyou, one of Manjoume's former friends. And really? It didn't last long.

"I attack directly with Twilight Dragon! **Twilight Beam**!" the Light and Darkness duelist declared. His Fusion Monster shot its signature attack at his opponent, forcing him into a pile of pillows, via the Field Magic, Pillow Kingdom.

 **Alex: 3500 LP  
** **Taiyou: 0000 LP**

 **WINNER: ALEX!**

"It's decided! The one to go on is none other than Alllllllllejandro Nagase!" Kazato announced, rolling his tongue at the l's.

"We'll be taking a lunch break from here," Kate said. "I'm sure our upcoming contestants would want to be at their 100% on their duels." At that, everyone left to either their dorm's cafeteria or to the card shop, getting sandwiches.

* * *

Kohaku, Judai and their group of friends were in the Ra Yellow's cafeteria, enjoying their order of lunch. Misawa was in his room, setting up a deck for his upcoming duel against Raizou.

"Yum!" Judai exclaimed. "Taste almost as good as Obelisk Blue's!" Shou and Hayato nodded in agreement, both crying happy tears.

"Well, considering the rank process in this school, that's quite reasonable," Alex said.

"I don't think that's so true," Bella said.

"She's right," Kohaku agreed. "By the way, the next one to duel is Asuka, right?"

"That's right," the duelist herself confirmed.

"Then do you know who Ran is?"

"She's an Obelisk Blue like us who uses an Insect Deck as well as a fan of Ryo."

"My brother?" Shou asked. The blonde Obelisk nodded her head in confirmation.

"An Insect Deck... We better hope the Field Spell card being used isn't based on bugs," Tiffany said.

"Speaking of, what's with the Field Spells, Kohaku?" Alex asked. "Some of those doesn't even make sense. Like Pillow Kingdom?"

"They're not based on the actual Field Magic. Besides, even if the field is based on insects, Asuka wouldn't have to worry about it," the 'Circus Freak' duelist said.

"How come?" Seth asked.

"Because Action Fields don't have the same effect as the normal Field Magic. For example, let's say that the Field Magic being used is Skyscraper. It may look like the actual Skyscraper, but it wouldn't have the effect to give 'Elemental Hero' monsters an extra 1000 ATK points when facing a stronger monster. This is so everyone can be on the same level, despite the field."

"So then, if Skyscraper is the Action Field, I still have to activate my own Skyscraper to help my 'Hero'?" Judai asked.

"That's exactly it, Judai. The only effect Action Fields have, no matter what kind of Field Magic it is, is that each player can only have one Action Card in their hand."

Everyone took in the new information about Action Duel.

"I see class is in session even during lunch," came Kazoo's voice. The group turned and saw Kohaku's parents coming over to them, both with a tray of lunch. "Mind if we join you?"

"Sure thing, sensei!" Judai said. Everyone agreed with him and made room for Kohaku's parents.

"What brings you here, mom, dad?" Kohaku asked.

"What? We can't join our daughter and her friends for a friendly meal?" Kazato joked.

"No." The male adult immediately paled, jaw dropped at her reply. "I'm just kidding~" Kohaku playfully patted her father on the shoulder.

"Right~" Said father had a goofy grin on his face.

Most of the members in their group sweat dropped at the sight before them. Kate lightly giggled at the scene.

"You think that was funny?" Hayato asked.

"Well, it was entertaining," Kate said.

"And that sense of humor is exactly why I married her," Kazato said. "That aside, what do you guys think so far? About Action Duels?"

"It was so awesome!" Judai immediately exclaimed. His fellow Reds agreed with him.

"I like it," Asuka said.

"It's completely out of this world, that's for sure," Alex stated.

Kazato smiled at the replies. "That's good." He had his eyes on Bella. "And what about you? How do you feel about Action Duels?"

"Huh? Well... It's fun."

He nodded at her reply. "And?" Seeing her confused look, the guy simply chuckled. "Well, in any case, you kids should hurry and eat. Lunch break is going to wait for anyone to finish." They agreed and finished their meal.

* * *

As soon as they finished their lunch, they returned to the duel field and saw that everyone, students and teachers alike, were already in the audience, waiting anxiously for the next duel to begin.

"Well, don't we have a full house here," Kohaku said. She then patted Asuka on the shoulder. "It's all on you, Asuka." She then lightly pushed her to the field.

"You didn't have to push me," she said, making her way to the arena. Everyone else took their seats where they should be.

"Everyone, I hope you enjoyed your lunch, because now is the time for the the fourth match of round 1!" Kazato announced. Everyone cheered at his words.

"That said, the match between Kanchou Ran and Tenjouin Asuka will begin!" Kate said. "Action Field on! Field Magic, Forest activate!" The field changed into a forest.

"Duelists locked in battle!" Asuka started out.

"Kicking against the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters!" Ran followed.

"They storm through this field!"

"Behold!"

"This is the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling!" the two said in unison. "Action! DUEL!"

 **Asuka: 4000 LP**  
 **Ran: 4000 LP**

* * *

Not long after the duel started, let's just say that Ran proved herself to be quite forgetful. She assumed that the Action Field would give her monster a boost since the normal effect of Forest would give Beast, Beast-Warrior and Insect-type monsters some boost in ATK. But when she and everyone in the audience learned that Action Fields' only effect is that players can hold one Action card in their hand, she was furious. No, wait. Furious is a strong word, but still. Not only that, she seemed to have discarded the 'only one Action Card in their hand' part of the effect, for she had tried to take two cards. It was when the second one dispersed on her that she realized the whole effect of Action Fields.

"I attack with Cyber Blader! **Glissade Slash**!" Asuka declared, ending the duel.

 **Asuka: 3000 LP**  
 **Ran: 0000 LP**

 **WINNER: ASUKA!**

"There you have it! The winner of this match is Tenjouin Asuka! _Congratulations!_ " Kazato announced. Asuka simply waved to the crowd as they applauded for her win.

"Next two duelists to duel are Misawa Daichi and Mototani Raizou. Please come to the duel field," Kate called.

* * *

Like with Alex's duel against Taiyou, Misawa's duel didn't last that long against Raizou.

"Go! Water Dragon! **Aqua Punisher!** " Miasma's WATER monster unleashed its signature attack at the Obelisk Blue opponent, ending the duel.

 **Raizou: 0000 LP**  
 **Misawa: 2400 LP**

 **WINNER: MISAWA!**

"And with that win, everyone, Misawa Daichi advances on to the next round!" Kazato announced. Everyone applauded for the Ra's win, with the exception of some Obelisk Blue males.

"Next two duelists to duel would be Tiffany Adagio and Elie de Medici," Kate called.

"Elie-chan! Don't lose- na no ne~!" Chronos immediately cheered.

"She's not on the field yet," Eri said.

Soon enough, Misawa and Raizou left the field and taking their place are Tiffany and Chronos' daughter. Elie was a petite Obelisk Blue female with teal hair and green eyes and wore glasses.

"May it be a good duel," Tiffany said in a perky tone.

"May it be a good duel indeed," Elie agreed.

"Well then, shall we get started?" Kate said. "Action field, on! Field Magic, Crystal Corridor!" The field changed into a crystalized hall, with floating crystal platforms.

"Duelists locked in battle!" the former idol began.

"Kicking against the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters!" Elie followed.

"They storm through this field!"

"Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling!"

"Action!" everyone shouted along. "DUEL!"

 **Elie: 4000 LP**  
 **Tiffany: 4000 LP**

"I'll start! Draw!" Tiffany said as she drew her sixth card. "I summon Melodious Diva Canon in Defense Mode!" A purple-skinned girl with blue hair wearing a gold mask appeared on the field.

 **Melodious Diva Canon: Level 4/LIGHT/Fairy/1400 ATK/2000 DEF**

"I set two cards face down and end my turn!"

"My turn! Draw!" Elie drew her sixth card. "I summon Antique Gear Hound Dog!" A mechanical dog with gear parts appeared on the field.

 **Antique Gear Hound Dog: Level 3/EARTH/Machine/1000 ATK/1000 DEF**

"So you do use an 'Antique Gear' deck like Professor Chronos," Tiffany said.

"That's right. But unlike my father, I use them much better than him." Chronos felt an arrow pierced through his heart at her words. "I activate Hound Dog's effect! Once per turn, if my opponent controls a monster, I can inflict 600 points of damage to them!" Her monster breathed out fire at Tiffany.

The 'Melodious' Duelist cartwheeled over to an Action Card on the floor near her. "Action Magic, _**Crystal Barrier**_! This reduces a Battle or effect damage to zero!" A force field appeared and protected her from the damage.

 _ **(Crystal Barrier: Activate one of these effects:  
When a card or effect is activated that inflicts damage, negate that effect.  
When a Battle Damage is being inflicted onto you, reduce the damage to zero.)**_

"In that case, I activate the Continuous Magic, Machine Developer! All Machine-type monsters on the field gains 200 ATK!"

 **Antique Gear Hound Dog: 1000 + 200 = 1200 ATK**

"Next I activate the Continuous Magic, Machiners Frontline! I set two cards face-down and end my turn!"

"My turn! Draw!" Tiffany drew her next card. "If I have a 'Melodious' monster on my field, I Special Summon Melodious Diva Sonata!" A yellow-skinned girl in a teal dress with blue and green hair and a harp-like wing appeared on the field.

 **Melodious Diva Sonata: Level 3/LIGHT/Fairy/1200 ATK/1000 DEF**

"And I release Canon and Sonata to Advance Summon Melodious Maestra Prodigy Mozart!" Both monsters were released and a monster in a red ballgown with butterfly-like wings appeared on the field, with a conductor baton in her hand.

 **Melodious Maestra Prodigy Mozart: Level 8/LIGHT/Fairy/2600 ATK/2000 DEF**

"Next I activate Prodigy Mozart's effect! Once per turn, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower 'Melodious' monster from my hand! Appear before me! Melodious Diva Serenade!" A violet-skinned monster in a yellow dress with a red sash around her waist appeared. The monster had pink hair and a small angel-like wing.

 **Melodious Diva Serenade: Level 4/LIGHT/Fairy/400 ATK/1900 DEF**

"And when Serenade is Special Summoned, I can make an additional Normal Summon, so long as it's for a 'Melodious' monster! And also, Serenade counts as two tributes for summoning a Fairy-type monster! I release Serenade to Advance Summon Melodious Maestra Laureate Francois!" Serenade left the field and, in her place, a purple skinned monster with green hair, wings similar to Prodigy Mozart and wearing a purple dress appeared.

 **Melodious Maestra Laureate Francois: Level 7/LIGHT/Fairy/2300 ATK/1700 DEF**

Everyone cheered for the former idol.

"What a move! In one turn, Tiffany summoned out multiple monsters!" Kazato announced.

"Now the question is how will Elie respond this turn?" Kate asked.

"I activate Laureate Francois's effect! Once per turn, I can add a LIGHT Fairy-type monster from my graveyard to my hand! I add Sonata to my hand and Special Summon her!" Sonata returned to the field. "Battle! I attack Hound Dog with Prodigy Mozart! **Graceful Wave**!" Tiffany's strongest monster unleashed its attack at her target.

"Trap card open! Defense Draw! If I was to take Battle Damage, I can reduce that damage to zero!" Elie defended. A shield appeared and protected her from the attack, but not her monster. "And I also get to draw a card from my deck." Elie drew her card. "And at this time, I activate Machiners Frontline's effect! When a Machine-type monster I control is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a monster from my deck with the same attribute as that monster and has less ATK that it! I Special Summon Antique Gear Box in Defense Mode!" A weird looking box made of gears with a pair of arms and legs appeared.

 **Antique Gear Box: Level 4/EARTH/Machine/500 + 200 = 700 ATK/2000 DEF**

"Also, Machine Developer's effect activates! When a Machine-type monster is destroyed, it gains two Junk Counters!" Two pieces of scrap metals appeared.

"In that case, I attack Antique Gear Box with Laureate Francois! **Pianistic** **Tune!** " Her second strongest monster made a keyboard appeared and played some notes, making keynotes appear and destroyed Antique Gear Box with them. "And now I attack directly with Sonata! **Pitch Voice!** " Sonata sang a note, shooting out a sonic boom from her mouth that hit Elie.

 **Elie: 2800 LP**  
 **Tiffany: 4000 LP**

"Because a Machine-type monster was destroyed, two more Junk Counters are given to me!" Two more pieces of scrap metal appeared. "Also, I activate my Trap card, Damage Gate! When I take Battle Damage, I can Special Summon a monster with ATK less than or equal to the damage I took! Return to me, Antique Gear Hound Dog!" Elie's monster returned to the field.

 **Antique Gear Hound Dog: 1000 + 200 = 1200 ATK**

Seeing that she had no other moves, Tiffany ended her turn and looked around for Action cards.

"My turn! Draw!" Elie drew her next card. "I activate Hound Dog's effect and inflict 600 points of damage to you!" Her monster once again breathed out flames at Tiffany, this time inflicting damage to her.

 **Elie: 2800 LP**  
 **Tiffany: 3400 LP**

"Next I activate the Magic card, Instant Fusion! By paying 1000 Life Points, I can Special Summon a Level 5 Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck! Appear, Antique Gear Double Bite Hound Dog!" A two-headed version of the original Hound Dog appeared on the field.

 **Antique Gear Double Bite Hound Dog: Level 5/EARTH/Machine/1400 + 200 = 1600 ATK/1000 DEF**

 **Elie: 1800 LP**  
 **Tiffany: 3400 LP**

"Next I activate the Magic card, Pot of Greed to draw two cards!" Elie drew more cards. "Next I activate the Magic card, **_Gear Burst_**! By discarding one 'Antique Gear' monster from my hand, I can add an 'Antique Gear' Monster from my Graveyard whose Level is lower than the discarded monster's. I discard Antique Gear Beast and add Antique Gear Box!" She exchanged the cards. "After that, I target monsters on my opponent's field equal to the difference in their Levels and place a Gear Counter on them!" Two gears appeared and attached themselves on Prodigy Mozart and Laureate Francois.

 _ **(Gear Burst: Normal Magic: Discard one 'Antique Gear' monster from your hand. Target one 'Ancient Gear' monster from your graveyard whose Level is lower than the discarded monster and add it to your hand. Then target monsters your opponent controls up to the difference in their levels and attach a Gear Counter on each of them.)**_

"Gear Counter?" Judai asked.

"I never heard of those counters," Asuka said.

"I somehow have a bad feeling about this," Alex followed.

"And Antique Gear Box's effect! If this card was added to my hand by a card effect, I can add an EARTH Machine-type monster with 500 ATK and/or DEF from my deck to my hand! I add Antique Gear Cannon to my hand!" Elie added the card to her hand. "Next I activate the Magic Card, Fusion! With this card, I fuse Antique Gear Double Bite Hound Dog with Antique Gear Hound Dog! Ferocious hunting hound, gain the power of your superior and create a new form! FUSION SUMMON! Appear now, Antique Gear Triple Bite Hound Dog!" The two monsters on her field fused together and created a three-headed Hound Dog.

 **Antique Gear Triple Bite Hound Dog: Level 7/EARTH/Machine/1800 + 200 = 2000 ATK/1000 DEF**

"Battle! I attack Prodigy Mozart with Antique Gear Triple Bite Hound Dog!" Everyone was confused at her declaration.

"But if you do that, your monster will be destroyed!" Tiffany said.

"I wonder about that," Elie said, increasing everyone's confusion. "When a monster with a Gear Counter battles, that monster is destroyed!" To everyone's shock, the gear turned at a fast pace, hurting Prodigy Mozart to the point that it destroyed her.

"Prodigy Mozart!"

"And since your monster was destroyed via card effect, I change Triple Bite Hound Dog's target to Laureate Francois!" The three-headed monster turned and charged at its second target. "And likewise, since she has a Gear Counter, she's destroyed!" Like what happened to Prodigy Mozart, the gear on Laureate Francois turned fast and destroyed her. "And because she was destroyed by a card effect, Double Bite Hound Dog's target is changed to Sonata!" The monster then ran toward Sonata.

Tiffany leapt from one crystalized platform to the next and got an Action Card. "Action Magic, Avoid!" But for some reason, an alarm went off on her duel disk and the card didn't activate.

"When Triple Bite Hound Dog attacks, my opponent cannot activate Magic or Trap Cards! This includes Action Cards!" Elie explained, as her monster destroyed Tiffany's last monster. The 'Melodious' duelist returned the Action Card to her hand.

 **Elie: 1800 LP**  
 **Tiffany: 2600 LP**

"What a move! Elie completely cleared Tiffany's field of monsters!" Kazato said.

"Those Gear Counters are quite scary," Kate stated.

Elie saw an Action card near her and picked it up. She smirked at the sight of it. "Action Magic, Fire Crystal! This card inflicts 600 points of damage to my opponent!" A red crystal appeared above Tiffany's head and exploded, dealing damage to her.

 **Elie: 1800 LP**  
 **Tiffany: 2000 LP**

"I end my turn!"

"My turn! Draw!" Tiffany drew her next card. "I summon the Melodious Diva Opera!" A cute little girl in a pink and blue dress appeared.

 **Melodious Diva Opera: Level 4/LIGHT/Fairy/2300 ATK/1000 DEF**

"When Opera is summoned, she can't attack. I end my turn."

"My turn. Draw! I activate the Magic card, Card of Demise! With this card, I draw until I have five cards in my hand! And on my fifth Standby Phase after this card's activation, I discard all cards in my hand!" Elie drew until she had five cards in her hand. "I summon Antique Gear Cannon!" A small tank made of gears appeared on the field.

 **Antique Gear Cannon: Level 2/EARTH/Machine/500 ATK/500 DEF**

"Next I activate the Magic card, Machine Duplication Technique! I target one Machine-type monster with 500 or less ATK and Special Summon up to two more copies of that monster from my deck!" Two more Antique Gear Cannons appeared on the field. "And I activate all three of their effects! By releasing them, I can inflict 500 points of damage to my opponent! Since I'm releasing three, that's 1500 points of damage total! Not only that, my opponent also cannot activate Trap cards during the Battle Phase!" The three monsters fired shots at Tiffany. The girl moved around, in an attempt to avoid the shots while looking for an Action Card. Just when she saw a card right on the platform above her, the missiles hit the one she was on and destroyed the platform above her, causing the idol to land on her butt.

 **Elie: 1800 LP**  
 **Tiffany: 500 LP**

"Ouch! That hurts!" Tiffany cutely pouted. She then saw the Action Card fall in her opponent's hand.

"And this is a duel! In a duel, there will be opponents who uses cheap tactics to get what they want!" Elie scolded. "To think I have to go up against you to get to my idols." That sentence got everyone curious.

"Your idols? Who?"

Elie blushed at the question, apparently just realizing she had said something she shouldn't have. "Nothing you should worry about! Action Magic, Nanana! I increase Triple Bite Hound Dog's ATK by 700!" A cartoon drawing of a banana shaped like a 7 appeared on the field and gave Elie's Fusion monster a boost.

 **Antique Gear Triple Bite Hound Dog: 2000 + 700 = 2700 ATK**

"Battle! Triple Bite Hound Dog! Attack Opera!" The Machine-type monster destroyed the Fairy-type.

 **Elie: 1800 LP**  
 **Tiffany: 100 LP**

"I end my turn! And at this point, Triple Bite Hound Dog's ATK returns to normal," Elie ended.

 **Antique Gear Triple Bite Hound Dog: 2700 - 700 = 2000 ATK**

"You have only one turn. Better make your move wisely."

"What turnaround! Tiffany is in a huge pinch!" Kazato shouted. "Will the former idol be able to turn this around?! Or is this the end?!"

Tiffany got up and dusted herself off. ' _She's good,_ ' she thought. ' _At least she doesn't really hate me as an Obelisk to an Osiris. And not only that, her eyes. They're similar to her eyes._ ' Her mind went back to Kohaku's twin sister when they first met. ' _Filled with_ _loneliness... Hope that someone can accept them... Discrimination... As well as a hint of what I usually see in my fans' eyes._ '

"My turn! Draw!" Tiffany drew her next card. "I can see it in your eyes. How much you want to win this duel. However, I'm not going to lose here. I made a promise to advance to the next round! Magic card, A Moment of Peace! Both players draw a card and take no damage until the opponent's next End Phase!" Both girls drew a card. "I end my turn."

"All you did was stall. And also, you said, you know how much I want to win? Don't kid me! Someone like you wouldn't understand how I feel! Draw!" Elie drew her next card. "I end my turn!"

"You're right. I don't understand how it feels. However, it doesn't mean I don't know anyone who's like you. Draw!" Tiffany drew her next card. "And I am not just talking about winning this duel; I was talking the feeling of being discriminated! I end my turn!"

"You're nothing but talk. And know nothing! Draw! Battle! Finish her, Antique Gear Triple Bite Hound Dog!" Her monster fired flames from its three mouths. Tiffany was engulfed in them, much to most people's shock.

"Tiffany's been-!"

"-beaten!" Shou and Hayato shouted.

"That's not true," Kohaku calmly told them. The two were confused, until they looked back on the field and saw the girl still standing, her Life Points unchanging.

"What?! How?!" the female 'Antique Gear' duelist demanded.

"A Moment of Peace's effect ends on the opponent's next turn. In other words, your second End Phase," Tiffany told her.

Elie gritted her teeth at the careless mistake. "I end my turn with one card face down. This time, you do have only one turn."

"And I'll make use of this turn. Draw!" Tiffany drew her next card. "I activate the Magic card, Double Magic! By discarding one card from my hand, I can activate a Magic card from my opponent's graveyard! I discard the Action Magic, Avoid from my hand and activate Fusion from your Graveyard! With it, I fuse Melodious Diva Aria and Sonata from my hand! Echoing melodious voice! Flowing melody! Resonate as one and give birth to a new voice! FUSION SUMMON! Now come to the stage, Melodious Maestra Meisterin Schubert!" A blue-skinned woman with orange hair in a black dress with orange frills appeared on the field.

 **Melodious Maestra Meisterin Schubert: Level 6/LIGHT/Fairy/2400 ATK/2000 DEF**

"And I activate her effect! Once per turn, I can banish cards that were used for a Fusion Summon in either player's Graveyard and give her 200 more ATK for each card banished this way until the end of the turn! I banish from your Graveyard, Antique Gear Hound Dog, Antique Gear Double Bite Hound Dog and Fusion and grant her 600 more ATK!"

Elie had other ideas. "I activate my Trap card, _**Reusable Gear!**_ This card allows me to banish an 'Antique Gear' monster from my Graveyard and give its ATK, DEF and effect to a monster I control! I activate Antique Gear Double Bite Hound Dog's effect and place a Gear Counter on Melodious Maestra Meisterin Schubert!" The audience gasped in shock as the spirit of the two-headed Antique Gear appeared and sent a Gear Counter at Tiffany's monster. It then fused with Triple Bite Hound Dog.

 **Melodious Maestra Meisterin Schubert: 2400 + 400 = 2800 ATK**

 **Antique Gear Triple Bite Hound Dog: 2000 + 1400 = 3400 ATK**

 _ **(Reusable Gear: Target one 'Antique Gear' monster you control. Banish an 'Antique Gear' monster from your Graveyard; the targeted monster gains the banished monster's ATK, DEF and effect until the End Phase)**_

"Even if my monster was weaker, if you attack, it will be destroyed," Elie said.

"Oh man! She was so close!" Judai said.

"And yet, it doesn't look like she was done with her turn," Alex noticed. The rest of the group took a better look and saw that he was right; Tiffany wasn't finished yet.

"Did you forget?" Tiffany spoke. "The other two cards on my field." Elie's eyes widened as she had just remembered of the two set cards on the female Osiris' field. "Let's go! Trap card, open! Beckoning Light! By discarding my whole hand to the Graveyard, I can add a LIGHT monster from my Graveyard to my hand!" She sent the last card from her hand back to the Graveyard and added Melodious Diva Serenade to her hand. "And lastly, I activate the Trap Card, Fusion Reserve! I reveal a Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck and add one of its Fusion Materials from my deck to my hand! Also, I add Fusion from my Graveyard to my hand!"

"What Fusion?! You-!" Elie stopped herself as she realized something from the current turn.

"The card I discarded was Fusion! And from my deck I add the Melodious Songstress Solo! And activate Fusion!" As soon as she added the two cards to her hand, she immediately activated her Magic card. "Amazing voice! Serene grace! Resonate as one and give birth to a new voice! FUSION SUMMON! Appear now on the stage, Melodious Choir Bloom Diva!" A huge sakura flower appeared. As it bloomed, an angelic girl in a white dress came out of it.

 **Melodious Choir Bloom Diva: Level 6/LIGHT/Fairy/1000 ATK/2000 DEF**

Despite the low ATK, Elie saw that Tiffany still had a confident look on her face. "You seem pretty confident with that monster. Does that mean it has a scary effect? No... That couldn't be. It looks harmless."

"You were right the first time," the idol said. "And how about I show you? Battle! Bloom Diva! Attack Antique Gear Triple Bite Hound Dog!" This only confused everyone as they saw her newly summoned monster sang a note. One that was similar to a small sonic boom at Elie's monster. "Even an idol has a dangerous trick up her sleeve! Bloom Diva's effect activates! When she attacks a Special Summoned monster, she isn't destroyed! Instead, it's the monster she battles that gets destroyed!"

"But that doesn't change the fact that-!"

Tiffany cut Elie off. "Afterwards! All Battle Damage I would've taken goes to my opponent instead! **Reflect Shout!** " Much to the Obelisk's shock, Bloom Diva summoned a green typhoon from her mouth that blew Triple Bite Hound Dog away. The force of the attack also blew her away, and brought the duel to an end.

 **Elie: 0000 LP**  
 **Tiffany: 100 LP**

 **WINNER: TIFFANY!**

The audience was stunned in silence at the results. The silence was broken by clapping. They turned and saw Kohaku and her parents standing from their spots, silently and happily clapping at the performance before them. One by one, slowly but surely, they all applauded at the two duelists.

"It's decided! After the rough back and fourth, the winner of this match is none other than Tiffany Adagio!" Kazato announced.

"That is by far, the most thrilling duel ever," Kate stated.

Tiffany walked up to Elie, who was on her knees.

"They were actually the only ones," she heard. "I was bullied by a group of Obelisk Blues for being a nerd. I would've told my father, but I wanted to handle my problems on my own. And then, they appeared. I was bullied one time, when those two came and stopped the bullying. I thought they were going to tease me as well and ran off. But instead, they dueled those guys in my place and got them to stop bullying. Instead, the group that usually bullied me started to be nice. I was hoping to at least see one of them in the finals, to give them my thanks for changing my life."

Tiffany placed a hand on her shoulder. "Instead of telling them in a duel, how about you tell them in person? Changing other people's opinion sounds like Kohaku. Depending on how much pride they have." She reached a hand out. "What do you say? How about joining out friendly group?"

A smile slowly formed on Elie's face as she accepted the handshake. Everyone applauded in approval to the scene before them.

"Now that is what I call good sportsmanship," Kazato said.

"I agree with you," Kate nodded. Speaking through the mic, she then said, "Will the two duelists exit the field? We have one more match to get to for the first round." Elie and Tiffany obliged to the request, as Bella and her opponent stood from their spots and walked down to the duel field.


	25. Representative Decisive Tournament Pt4

**Coral: The Representative Tournament part 4 at last!**

 **Aki: College and work really does take away some of your time, does it?**

 **Coral: They do... BUT! At least I finally finished something! And to Generalhyna, I hope this chapter was worth the wait. As for the new reviewer, Blizzardlord-**

 **Aki: Blizzarzord.**

 **Coral: -Blizzarzord, thank you for your kind words. And yes, yes I was evil to Jaden in Chapter 9~ XD. And thanks for bringing up Kohaku's sister's deck, because I seem to have forgotten to mention what show those monsters/characters are from. The 'Relic User' are from the show called Senki Zesshou Symphogear. There are three seasons now and it was said that there will be a fourth and a fifth season coming out. I don't know when that is, but I'm quite excited for it.**

 **Aki: Now that you brought it up, what's the show about?**

 **Coral: I'm horrible at explaining.**

 **Aki: And yet you write great stories?**

 **Coral: That is different. Anyway, try watching the show, when you guys have thee time or if you're interested. Now, onwards to the story! I don't own any Yugioh things. I own Kohaku, her family and their decks. All the other OCs are from their respective creators.**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 ** _*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*_**

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

 _ ***OPENING***_

 ** _(Instrumental)_** _(_ _The scene begins with a nice top view of the island_ _)_

 ** _To the beginning sky... towards the shining light  
_** _(The camera looks up to the sky, having a nice view of it and the sun as the anime logo slowly appeared)  
_ ** _There's nothing to fear... because I'm here..._** _  
(Freakstar Dragon with Naruto on his back and Time Space Magician flew pass the logo the Spellcaster-type shined the crystal ball on his staff, changing the scene)_

 ** _Falling countless times to your knees_** _  
_ ** _Not protecting your own pride  
_** _(Kohaku slipped on a banana peel and was laughed at by many students. She laughed along with them)  
_ ** _Only coming up with just doubts_** _  
_ ** _Do not close your eyes just yet  
_** _(Alex and Bella looked at the scene in slight envy at how she was, in a way, getting along with many others despite her being in Red and daughter of a famous circus' ringmaster and walked their separate ways)_

 ** _I absolutely cannot see  
_** ** _the possibility that's here and now  
_** _(Judai was imagining himself as the next King of Games. Manjoume and his friends along with Chronos glared at how impossible it would be for him while Misawa, Shou and Hayato looked at him with interest or slight admiration)  
_ ** _When these tears turn into rain  
_** ** _I just want you to notice_** _  
(Asuka and Ryou were at the entrance of the Abandon Dorm and stared at a picture of the latter's brother with determination)_

 ** _Spit out all the vexing things  
_** ** _Because there's a meaning for taking things  
_** _(Bella was remembering the time when she was younger, getting bullied and being isolated by others because of her powers. Her patience went to her limit as she accidentally summoned a monster and released it onto them)  
_ ** _Even if you desire everything, you don't need to grasp it all  
_** _(_ _Alex was remembering when he was accepted into Duel Academy and told the principal that he wished to start at the lowest rank, just to be bullied by those of a higher rank_ _)  
_ ** _Just keep a hold of one most important thing_** _  
(Kohaku placed her hands on their shoulders and snapped them out of the memory lane and smiled at them then pushed them to the rest of their friends)_

 ** _In the beginning of the sky, I welcome you  
_** ** _do not ever look back just look forward  
_** _(Judai had out Flame Wingman, who fought against Chronos' Antique Gear Golem and Asuka's Cyber Blader, as Kohaku had out Time Space Magician, who was going head-to-head against Alex's Light and Darkness Dragon and Bella's Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama)  
_ ** _If you feel the wind on your back  
_** ** _then there won't be anything to worry about_** _  
(Shou and his monsters were looking at his brother and his monsters with determination, who smirked in approval, causing the younger sibling to smile back)_

 ** _If you would look around, you'd see all these smiling faces  
_** _(In another realm, it showed all of Kohaku, Bella, Alex, Judai, Shou, Hayato, and Asuka's monsters smiling at the camera)  
_ ** _Do not carry everything by yourself  
_** _(Kohaku was looking at her late sister's deck in her hand with a solemn look, the deck's monster spirits floating right by her side)  
_ ** _Don't rush either, the answer is along the way  
_** _(The scene turned dark and the whole gang were running towards the light)  
_ ** _you'll definitely find it for sure_** _  
(They arrived at a lighthouse, looking up at the night sky)_

* * *

In the audience, Tiffany was using the time they had to introduce Elie to her friends, especially Kohaku. Bella already left for her duel. Elie continuously stuttered almost every time she tried to at least say a word to the 'Circus Freak' Ra, much to the latter's confusion. In fact most of the group was confused. They couldn't help but wonder if this was the same girl who was so rough on her duel against Tiffany. In fact, they were reminded of Seth before he was joined in their group of friends.

Down at the Duel Field, Bella was standing nervously on her side of the duel field, waiting for her opponent to appear. She wasn't having stage frights; she dueled on stage once before as Alex's opponent for his promotion duel. Her nervousness was directed to her opponent, who was her bully before she arrived in Duel Academia.

"So we're finally dueling against each other," came Mina's voice as the Obelisk entered the field. "I've been waiting so long for this moment."

"... Mina..." Bella spoke.

"Save it, freak. I still haven't forgotten what you did to me years ago. Especially since this scar is nothing but a reminder of that day!" Mina said, referring to the scar on her face.

"I never meant it! Honest!"

"Nothing but lies, as always."

"This final match of the first round will now begin! On my right is Tenshiro Mina and on my left is Arabella Rosaline! Just what kind of duel will they show us?! Let's find out as soon as a duel field is chosen for them!" Kazato shouted.

At those words, Kate selected the field for the two girls. "Action Field, on! Field Magic, Quebracho Forest activate!" The field changed into a forest.

"Duelists locked in battle!" Mina started off.

"Kicking against the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters!" Bella followed.

"They storm through this field!"

"Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling!"

"Action!" everyone shouted along. "DUEL!"

 **Mina: 4000 LP**  
 **Bella: 4000 LP**

"My turn!" Mina drew her sixth card. "I summon **_Bark Skin Snake_**!" On a tree branch, an eye was seen. Outlines were then made and slithering down by Mina's side was a snake with wooden scales, glaring at Bella.

 **Bark Skin Snake: Level 4/EARTH/Reptile/1400 ATK/1000 DEF**

 _ **(Bark Skin Snake: Effect Monster: When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to your Graveyard, you may Special Summon a 'Bark Skin' monster from your deck with 1500 or less ATK in Attack Mode. If there are two copies of Bark Skin Snake in your Graveyard when this card is destroyed, you may Special Summon a 'Bark Skin' monster with 1500 or less DEF instead.)**_

' _Bark Skin?_ ' Bella mentally took note. Last time they dueled, Mina didn't use a 'Bark Skin' deck.

"I set one card face-down and end my turn."

"My turn! Draw!" Bella drew her card. The moment she looked at it and her hand... "What the-?! THIS ISN'T MY DECK!" Everyone gasped at her statement.

"Good luck with my deck, Bella~!" Kohaku shouted from her stop.

Putting the pieces together, Bella instantly accused, "Kohaku! Why did you switch my decks?!"

"If you want to be an Entertainment Duelist, you have to make things entertaining no matter what you have or what's around you! This is your lesson!"

"Does this look like a time for lesson?! And this deck isn't even your's!"

"True, but you are definitely ready for it!"

"Quit making decisions for me!"

"Since when do I do that?!"

"You're practically doing it now!"

Everyone simply watched the two girls bicker against each other about Kohaku practically forcing Bella to use her sister's deck.

"Was this what it looks like when Kohaku and I were arguing?" Alex dared to ask.

"Somewhat," Asuka replied.

"They do this all the time?" Elie asked Tiffany.

"Pretty much."

Out of everyone, Mina wasn't amused one bit. "IF YOU'RE JUST GOING TO STAND THERE AND ARGUE WITH A BYSTANDER, YOU'RE BETTER OFF FORFEITING THE DUEL!"

Bella ceased her argument with Kohaku and focused her attention back to the duel when she realized something. ' _Huh? I'm... Not as nervous as before._ ' She glanced back at Kohaku and saw the 'Circus Freak' duelist looking back down at her with a smirk on her face.

She let out her own smile in realization. "You sneaky performer. From my hand, I summon Gungnir Relic User, Kanade!" The red-head teenage girl appeared on her field.

 **Gungnir Relic User, Kanade: Level 4/FIRE/Warrior/2000 ATK/1000 DEF**

"Let's try and get along, Bella," she said to her temporary owner.

Her and Kohaku's friends looked at the latter in shock.

"You gave her your sister's deck?" Judai asked.

"Yeah. After all, both she and her are a lot alike," Kohaku answered.

Everyone accepted the answer and turned their attention back to the duel.

"I activate Kanade's summon effect! I add the Equip Magic, Relic Weapon, Spear to my hand from my deck and activate it! Now Kanade gains 500 more power!" A pendant appeared in Kanade's hand.

" _Croitzal ronzell gungnir zizzl~_ " After singing her incantation, Kanade changed into her battle form.

 **Gungnir Relic User, Kanade: 2000 + 500 = 2500 ATK**

"I activate Spear's second effect! By discarding one Monster card from my hand to the Graveyard, I can destroy one monster my opponent controls! I discard Gungnir Relic User, Hibiki to my Graveyard and destroy Bark Skin Snake! **Stardust Photon!** "

"Eat this!" Kanade shouted as she tossed her weapon into the air. Thousands of spears started to rain down on her target.

"I activate the Continuous Trap, _**Indestructible Wood**_!" Mina defended. "While this card is face-up on the field, 'Bark Skin' monsters I control cannot be destroyed by card effect!" The spears hit, but Snake was still on the field.

 _ **(Indestructible Wood: Continuous Trap: 'Bark Skin' monsters you control cannot be destroyed by card effects. Any effect damage and Battle Damage you take from battle involving a 'Bark Skin' monster is halved.)**_

"However, it can still be destroyed by battle! Battle! I attack Bark Skin Snake with Kanade! **Last Meteor**!"

"How about this!" Kanade spun her spear fast and blew snake into a tree, breaking it into pieces.

 **Mina: 3450 LP**  
 **Bella: 4000 LP**

"Because of Indestructible Wood's second effect, I take half the damage I would've taken from battle involving 'Bark Skin' monsters!" Mina explained. "Also, Bark Skin Snake's effect activates! When destroyed by battle, I can Special Summon a 'Bark Skin' monster with 1500 or less ATK! I summon another Snake!" The wood pieced themselves together and formed another Bark Skin Snake.

Bella slightly gritted her teeth at the monster before her. "I set one card face-down and end my turn!"

"My turn! Draw!" Mina drew her next card. "I summon _**Green-Eyes**_ ** _Armadillo_** in Defense Mode!" An armadillo rolled out of the ground and uncurled itself, revealing its green eyes.

 **Green-Eyes Armadillo: Level 4/EARTH/Beast/1000 ATK/2000 DEF**

 _ **(Green-Eyes Armadillo: Effect Monster: If you control a 'Bark Skin' monster, this card can attack your opponent directly while in Defense Mode.)**_

"I switch Snake to Defense Mode! Battle! I attack directly with Bark Skin Armadillo!" Everyone got confused at her declaration.

"But you can't attack with a Defense Position Monster! Not only that, but I have a monster on my field!" Bella reminded.

"I know. Which is why Armadillo will attack directly while in Defense Mode through his own Effect! **Roll Breaker**!" Armadillo curled up into a wooden ball and rolled at high speed past Kanade and struck Bella.

 **Mina: 3450 LP**  
 **Bella: 3000 LP**

"I set one card face-down and end my turn," Mina ended.

"My turn! Draw!" Bella drew her next card. "Since Kanade is on the field, I Special Summon Ame no Habakiri Relic User, Tsubasa from my hand in Attack Mode!" Kanade's partner appeared on the field.

 **Ame no Habakiri Relic User, Tsubasa: Level 4/WIND/Warrior/1400 ATK/1000 DEF**

"Yo, Tsubasa!" Kanade greeted.

"Hi, Kanade," Tsubasa greeted back.

"And with her summon effect, I add Relic Weapon, Sword to my hand and equip it to her!" Tsubasa's pendant appeared in her hand.

" _Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri Tron~_ " Like Kanade, Tsubasa changed into her combat uniform.

 **Ame no Habakiri Relic User, Tsubasa: 1400 + 500 = 1900 ATK**

"Next, I summon Ichaival Relic User, Chris!" The white-haired girl appeared next to them.

 **Ichaival Relic User, Chris: Level 4/FIRE/Warrior/1300 ATK/1000 DEF**

"You better not mess up, kid," Chris told her.

"She's practically the same age as you, though," Kanade said.

Bella let out a light nervous laugh before getting herself back in the game. "Through her summon effect, I add Relic Weapon, Gun to my hand and activate it!"

Now it was Chris's turn for her upgrade. " _Killiter Ichaival Tron~_ " Like her fellow Relic Users, she changed into her battle gear.

 **Ichaival Relic User, Chris: 1300 + 500 = 1800 ATK**

"Battle! I attack Snake with Chris! **Billion Maiden**!"

"My favorite!" Chris shouted, as her crossbows changed into a pair of double tri-barrel gatlings and fired many bullets at her target, destroying it.

"And with Chris's effect, if she destroys a monster by battle, she inflicts 100 points of damage to my opponent times the destroyed monster's level, which is 400 in total! Also, through her weapon, Relic Weapon, Gun's effect, I can inflict Battle Damage to my opponent equal to the destroyed monster's lowest stat! Snake's DEF is weaker than its ATK, so that's 1000 more damage inflicted onto you! **Queen's Inferno**!" Chris's weapons changed back to normal with additional firing lane and fired more missiles at Mina.

 **Mina: 2750 LP**  
 **Bella: 3000 LP**

"Because of Indestructible Wood's effect, I take half the effect damage I would've taken! And since Snake was destroyed by battle, I Special Summon another Snake!" Another copy of the Reptile-type 'Bark Skin' monster appeared in Attack Mode.

"Now that is what I call defense!" Kazato shouted. "Because of Indestructible Wood, any damage Mina takes is halved and Snake is bringing up more of its kind on the field!"

"However, since a duelist can have three copies of one card in their deck, that Bark Skin Snake on her field is her last. How would she turn this around on her turn?"

"We can worry about that when we get to it!" Kanade said.

"There's no use worrying about it now," Tsubasa agreed.

Bella nodded in agreement and declared her next attack. "Tsubasa! Attack the new Snake!"

"Right!" The blue-haired girl charged at the newly summoned monster and beheaded it. For some reason, Mina was smirking at the time of the attack.

 **Mina: 2500 LP**  
 **Bella: 3000 LP**

"All right! Now it's Kanade's turn!" Shou cheered.

"Mina will take a huge amount of damage, no matter what monster she'll summon!" Hayato calculated. Judai nodded in agreement.

"I wonder if that's so," Misawa said. The male Osiris turned to him in confusion.

"When Bella attacked, Mina was smiling," Alex said.

"Usually no duelist would be calm to see their monster get destroyed without a plan," Elie added.

"And with a smirk like that, it could only mean one thing," Kohaku spoke.

Judai caught on to what they were saying. "Bella was set up!"

As they said, instead of a small monster will 1500 or less ATK, a huge dragon with wooden scales appeared on the field.

"Instead of a 'Bark Skin' monster with 1500 or less ATK, if Bark Skin Snake was destroyed by battle and there are already two Bark Skin Snakes in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon a 'Bark Skin' monster with 1500 or less DEF instead. And who better than a Level 8 monster with 2800 ATK? Meet _**Green-Eyes**_ _ **Bark Skin Dragon**_!"

 **Green-Eyes Bark Skin Dragon: Level 8/EARTH/Dragon/2800 ATK/1500 DEF**

 ** _(Green-Eyes Bark Skin Dragon: Effect Monster: This card gains 300 ATK for each 'Bark Skin' monster in your Graveyard. If this card attacks a Defense Position Monster whose DEF is lower than this card's ATK, inflict piercing Damage to your opponent. If this card was to be destroyed, banish one 'Green-Eyes' monster from your Graveyard instead. Then this turn, this card gains the banished monster's effect until the End Phase.)_**

"And with his effect, he gains 300 ATK for each 'Bark Skin' monster in my Graveyard! There are three 'Bark Skin' monsters in my Graveyard! That's 900 points!" The Dragon-type monster glowed green as its ATK points increased.

 **Green-Eyes Bark Skin Dragon: 2800 + 900 = 3700 ATK**

Bella saw she had no choice but at least prevent the direct damage. "Kanade! Attack Armadillo!"

"Got it! **Last Meteor**!" Kanade used her signature attack at the Defense Position Monster and destroyed it.

"I end my turn."

"My turn. Draw!" Mina drew her next card. "I activate my Continuous Trap, _**Bark Burst**_! Once per turn, by discarding a number of cards from my hand to the Graveyard, I can destroy one monster on the field whose original ATK is 1000 points or lower times the number of cards I discarded by this effect!" Mina leapt at a tree and started to pick Action Cards from it and subsequently sent them to the Graveyard.

 _ **(Bark Burst: Continuous Trap: Once per turn, while there's a face-up 'Bark Skin' monster on your field, you may discard a number of cards from your hand to the Graveyard; destroy one monster on the field whose original ATK is equal to or less than 1000 times the number of cards sent.)**_

"She can do that?!" Shou asked Kohaku.

"The Action Fields' effect is that each player can only hold one Action Card in their hand, however, it said nothing about them not being allowed to instantly send them to the Graveyard to activate card effects," Kohaku simply answered.

Mina stood on a branch, looking down on her opponent. "I sent three cards to the Graveyard! Therefore through Bark Burst's effect, I destroy one monster on the field whose original ATK is equal to or less than 3000!" Everyone watched, wondering which of the three monsters Mina will destroy first. "I destroy Dragon!" was the least expected choice.

"Huh? Your own monster?" Bella asked. She then remembered something. "But wait, Indestructible Wood's effect prevents your monster's destruction by card effect!"

"I know. But it doesn't negate the effect of monsters who can negate their own card effect destruction. I activate Dragon's effect! By banishing a 'Green-Eyes' monster from my Graveyard like Green-Eyes Armadillo, his destruction is negated!" A spirit of the Beast-type appeared and blocked the effect from striking Mina's lone monster.

"Mina prevented her monster's destruction, however she wasted such a good effect," Kazato said.

"True. But using such effect like that, she must have something up her sleeve," Kate pointed out.

"That I do," Mina confirmed. "If Dragon's destruction was negated this way, he gains the effect of the monster that was used as the cost! **Effect Absorption**!" Bella and the audience gasped, eyes widened as they saw Dragon gain some of Armadillo's characteristics.

"If Dragon gains Armadillo's effect..." Tiffany began.

"Bella would lose!" Elie ended.

"I switch Dragon to Defense Mode!" Mina's monster switched his battle position. "Battle! I attack with Green-Eyes Bark Skin Dragon! And with his borrowed effect, while in Defense Position, if I control a 'Bark Skin' monster, he can attack directly! **Nature Blast**!" Green energy was being gathered into Dragon's mouth, getting ready to be fired.

Bella quickly used her ninja training to leap up a tree and jumped from one branch to another to search for an Action Card.

"That's fast!" Judai exclaimed in shock and surprise.

"Well, she was trained by ninjas," Alex pointed out, referring to her 'Shinobu' deck.

"There is no escape!" Mina shouted. "FIRE!" Her ace released its move straight at Bella, breaking through the branches to get to her.

"Bella! Look out!" Kanade warned.

"Trap Card, open! Symphogear Caller!" the psychic duelist shouted as she stopped on one branch. "If my opponent declares an attack, this card allows me to Special Summon a 'Relic User' monster from my deck and redirect the attack to that card! Protect me, Relic User Protector, Ogawa!" The young agent appeared in between Bella and Nature Blast in Defense Mode and took the full force of the attack.

 **Relic User Protector, Ogawa: Level 5/LIGHT/Warrior/2000 ATK/1400 DEF**

"That won't protect you," Mina said. "If Green-Eyes Bark Skin Dragon attacks a Defense Position Monster, he can inflict piercing damage to my opponent!" Bella felt the shockwave from the attack and was blown off the tree. Before he disappeared into the Graveyard, Ogawa managed to snatch an Action Card that was caught in the wind and tossed it to his temporary duelist, who caught it.

 **Mina: 2500 LP**  
 **Bella: 700 LP**

"Thank you, Ogawa-san," Bella quietly thanked as she landed safely on the ground, near the lake. She looked at the card in her hand. "I activate the Action Magic, Damage Draw! If I took at least 2000 points of damage, I draw two cards!" She drew two more cards.

"I end my turn," Mina ended.

"My turn! Draw!" Bella drew her next card.

"From my hand, I activate _**Green-Eyes Monkey's**_ effect! By discarding this card to the Graveyard during my opponent's turn, I can add a card from my opponent's hand to my hand!" Everyone couldn't believe what they heard.

 _ **(Green-Eyes Monkey: Effect Monster: You may discard this card to the Graveyard during your opponent's turn. Your opponent reveals their hand. Add one card from your opponent's hand to your hand.)**_

"She's taking a card from Bella's hand?!" Shou repeated in a shocked tone.

"No way!" Tiffany gasped.

"So show me your hand." Bella reluctantly revealed her hand to her. "Ho? You have Swan Song in your hand, I see. Too bad it won't be used." After Mina said that, a monkey with green eyes appeared and took the card right out of Bella's hands.

"Isn't that the deck's winning card?!" Judai asked Kohaku. Her silence was enough of an answer for everyone.

"No way! Then how is Bella-sama going to win now?!" Elie asked.

"She'll find a way. Because this is Bella we're talking about. An Entertainment Duelist never stops the show," Kohaku said.

"And continuing on, I activate Bark Burst's effect and discard Swan Song and _**Bark Skin Piranha**_ to my Graveyard and destroy a monster on your field whose original ATK is equal to or less than 2000! I am quite aware of Kanade's effect and Tsubasa's if Kanade was destroyed. So say good-bye to Tsubasa!" A tree near them shot out some of its twigs as arrows and destroyed their target. "And since a 'Bark Skin' monster was added to my Graveyard, Green-Eyes Bark Skin Dragon gains 300 more ATK!"

 **Green-Eyes Bark Skin Dragon: 3700 + 300 = 4000 ATK**

 _ **(Bark Skin Piranha: Effect Monster: If this card was sent to the Graveyard, destroy one monster on the field.)**_

"Also! Because Bark Skin Piranha was sent to the Graveyard, its own effect activates! I destroy one monster on the field! This is when you say good-bye to Kanade!" A school of piranhas appeared and bit Kanade, destroying her.

Bella had a troubled look on her face. The only winning method she knew about the 'Relic User' deck, if there were any others, was the Swan Song. But now that she couldn't use it, Bella would have to find other ways to win the duel. Not only that, two of her strongest monsters on her field were gone. "Because Kanade was destroyed, I Special Summon Hibiki from my Graveyard. And since she's summoned I add Relic Weapon, Gloves from my deck to my hand and activate it." Said monster was summoned as Bella added and activated the said Equip card.

 **Gungnir Relic User, Hibiki: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/1300 + 500 = 1800 ATK/1000 DEF**

"I... set two cards face down and end my turn." Bella continued her run.

"We have to do whatever we can to protect her now, Hibiki!" Chris told her comrade.

"Right!" she nodded.

"Draw!" Mina drew her next card. She smirked at the sight of it. "Too bad for you. I summon _**Bark Skin Stingray!**_ " In the lake near Bella, a stingray jumped out and made its way to her. The top part seemed to be made of wood.

 **Bark Skin Stingray: Level 4/EARTH/Fish/1600 ATK/1200 DEF**

 _ **(Bark Skin Stingray: Effect Monster: When this card is summoned, for each 'Bark Skin' monster you control, destroy one Spell/Trap card on your opponent's field. This card gains 200 ATK for each card destroyed this way.)**_

"And with his summon effect, for each 'Bark Skin' monster I control, I destroy one Magic or Trap card my opponent controls! I have two 'Bark Skin' monsters! And guess which two I'll be destroying. **Stinging Tidal!** " Stingray caused a wave to appear and, as Bella climbed up a tree to avoid being washed up, her set cards were destroyed.

"Bella's back row cards!" Asuka began.

"This isn't good!" Tiffany panicked.

"No. This is good," Kohaku said as she smirked.

"Where is that good?!" Alex demanded.

"Stingray then gains 200 ATK for each card destroyed this way," Mina added as her monster gained a bit more power.

 **Bark Skin Stingray: 1600 + 200 x 2 = 1600 + 400 = 2000 ATK**

" _Oh man..._ " Bella spoke in English as she traveled through the trees once more.

"I switch Dragon back to Attack Mode." The Dragon-type swapped his position back. "Battle! I attack Hibiki with Bark Skin Dragon! Time to finish her! **Nature Blast!** " It instantly fired its attack at the running Obelisk.

"From my Graveyard, I activate Ogawa's effect! If my opponent declares an attack that would bring my Life Points to zero, by banishing him, I can negate that attack!" Ogawa appeared and got Bella out of the way of the attack. " _Thank you again_ , Ogawa-san," Bella thanked in English.

" _No problem, my lady,_ " he replied, also in English. After setting her down on a tree, Ogawa took his leave. As he did, she noticed an Action Card right by her.

"I'm not done yet! I attack Chris with Stingray! **Stinging Venom!** " The called monster instantly jabbed its barb in Chris's gut and destroyed her.

 **Mina: 2500 LP**  
 **Bella: 500 LP**

"Chris-chan!" Hibiki cried out.

"And from my hand, I activate _**Green-Eyes Puma's**_ effect! If a 'Bark Skin' or 'Green-Eyes' monster I control destroys an opponent's monster by battle whose Level is the same as their's, by discarding this card to the Graveyard, I can inflict 200 damage to my opponent times the destroyed monster's level! **Damage Roar!** " A cougar with green eyes appeared and let out a threatening roar at Bella.

 _ **(Green-Eyes Puma: Effect Monster: When a 'Bark Skin' or a 'Green-Eyes' monster you control destroys an opponent's monster by battle, whose Level is the same as their's, you may discard this card to the Graveyard and inflict 200 damage to your opponent times the destroyed monster's level. If this card battles an opponent's monster, you may tribute one 'Bark Skin' or 'Green-Eyes' monster on your field; this card gains half that monster's ATK and DEF until the End Phase.)**_

The girl quickly picked up the card by her and activated it. "Action Magic, Runaway Effect! I can negate a monster's effect that my opponent controls and inflict 500 points of damage to my opponent!" Mina's eyes widened as a paper bag appeared and seemed to have absorbed the roar. It then opened up once more and sent the roar right back at Mina.

 **Mina: 2000 LP**  
 **Bella: 500 LP**

"So you saved yourself... Then I end my turn," Mina ended. "Don't think you're off the hook, you monster! Everyone may have forgotten about who you really are, but not me! And today will be the day when I get my revenge on you!"

Bella leapt off the tree branch and landed on the ground. "Tenshiro-san... I understand that you are furious with me. However, unlike back then, I now understand my powers. Unlike back then, I have someone who helps me gain control over them. I have great friends who have my back when I need them. And now... I will show you the full extent of our friendship! The results of my training!" Bella placed her hand on her deck. "My... TURN!" Bella drew her next card.

Her eyes widened at the sight of the card she drew. ' _This card!_ '

"By sending all face-up Magic and Trap cards on both fields to the Graveyard, including at least one 'Relic Weapon' Equip Card, I Special Summon Shenshoujing Relic User, Miku!" Much to Mina's shock, as Hibiki was stripped of her armor and into her school uniforms, her two Trap cards also left the field. Then appearing on Bella's side was a girl Hibiki's age, wearing the same uniform she was wearing and a bow on the back of her head.

 **Shenshoujing Relic User, Miku: Level 4/DARK/Warrior/? ATK/? DEF**

 **Gungnir Relic User, Hibiki: 1800 - 500 = 1300 ATK**

"Miku!" Hibiki happily called.

"Hello, Hibiki," Miku greeted.

Everyone in the audience was also shocked at the summon.

"Bella-san got rid of Indestructible Wood and Bark Burst!" Elie gasped in amazement.

"You didn't... expect her to know that card, did you?" Alex suspiciously asked Kohaku.

"Unknown ATK?" Mina questioned.

"Miku can only be Special Summoned. And when summoned this way, not only does her original ATK becomes half the total original ATK of all 'Relic User' monsters, I can also add her weapon, Relic Weapon, Mirror from my deck to my hand! And activate it!" Bella added another card to her hand and subsequently activated it. "Of course, like the other 'Relic Weapon' Equip cards, this one gives Miku 500 more ATK. And like them, it has another effect!" A familiar pendant appeared in Miku's hand as she sang her incantation.

" _Rei Shénshòujìng rei zizzl~_ " The recently summoned monster changed into her own white and purple combat clothes, with a headgear and cables on her back.

 **Shenshoujing Relic User, Miku: ? -} 650 + 500 = 1150 ATK**

"And from my Graveyard, I activate the Trap Card, Liuxing's effect!"

The 'Bark Skin' duelist eyes widened at the card that was being used. "That's-!"

"One of the two cards you destroyed earlier! If Miku is on the field equipped with Relic Weapon, Mirrors, by banishing this card from the Graveyard, I can destroy one Effect Monster on each side of the field with the highest Level, besides Miku! And depending on the Level of both those monsters, the controller of the dominant Level loses 100 Life Points times its Level while the controller of the lower Level loses 100 Life Points times its Level! On your field there's a Level 4 and a Level 7! Besides Miku, I have Hibiki, who's a Level 4 monster! So of course, your Bark Skin Dragon is destroyed, along with Hibiki!"

"Hibiki!" Miku called out, as she passed her a mirror.

"Got it!" Hibiki caught the mirror and charged straight at the Dragon-type monster.

Mina managed to snatch an Action Card from a rock near her. "Action Magic, Invisibility! Dragon is now unaffected by your cards!"

Her called monster became transparent as Hibiki just went through him. "What?!" the dirty blonde girl gasped.

Despite this, Bella's attitude was unchanged. "In that case, your Stingray is the target. And if it comes to the situation where both monsters have the same level, the controller of the higher ATK gains Life Points while the one with the lower ATK loses Life Points." Stingray piled itself on top of Hibiki as the mirror in her hand glowed and destroyed them both.

 **Mina: 2400 LP**  
 **Bella: 100 LP**

"Now you're just hanging on by a measly thread~" Mina mocked.

"No. This is actually good," Bella corrected as she smirked.

"Huh? Are you stupid? You're down to one monster. And not only that, but it's ATK is far weaker than Green-Eyes Bark Skin Dragon. You have 100 Life Points left. You have no other options but to lose!"

"It's because my Life Points are at 100 that it's good. I thought you knew. When this deck's controller's Life Points are in great danger, its true power is shown! Battle! Miku! Attack Green-Eyes Bark Skin Dragon!"

" **Shanguang!** " Miku's mirrors turned into a full circle made of fan segments, all which fired a beam at her target.

"Relic Weapon, Mirror's second effect! When the equipped monster attacks a monster whose ATK is 1000 higher and my Life Points are less than 1000, Miku gains ATK equal to the difference in my and my opponent's Life Points!" Mina gasped as the lone 'Relic User's ATK was starting to increase. "And from my Graveyard, I activate another card effect, the Magic card, Symphonic Resonator! Another card in which you destroyed because of Stingray's effect! When I control only one 'Relic User' monster that attacks an opponent's monster, she gains 400 ATK for each 'Relic User' monster in my Graveyard! There are four 'Relic User' monsters in my Graveyard! So that's 1200 more points!"

 **Shenshoujing Relic User, Miku: 1150 + 2300 + 1200 = 4650 ATK**

"That's strong!" Mina panicked. She spotted an Action Card on a log near her and snatched it. "Action Magic, Bi-Attack! This card doubles the ATK of one monster on the field!"

"Miku's second effect! On the turn her friend, Hibiki was destroyed, my opponent cannot activate cards that changes a monster's ATK!" Some of the beams hit Mina's Action card.

"If I can't protect my monster...!" Mina ran to another Action Card. Bella saw this and ran to it as well. Both Obelisks ran to the card before them, both determined to use it to support their monsters. Dragon desperately avoided Miku's beams, giving its master time to get the card. Both girls were in arm's length and leapt forward and the one to get the card... was Bella.

"Got it!" she exclaimed.

"No way!" Mina gasped in disbelief.

Bella instantly activated the card. "Action Magic, Miracle Fire! This card gains the effect of an Action Card that was activated this turn! The effect I'm using is Bi-Attack!" Miku's mirrors reformed themselves into a huge, deadly double-edged sword.

 **Shenshoujing Relic User, Miku: 4650 x 2 = 9300 ATK**

Mina watched in shock as Miku held the sword in her hands.

"Go, Miku!" Bella encouraged.

Miku let out a battle cry as she swung her weapon upwards, sending Green-Eyes Bark Skin Dragon into the air. She then threw the blade at the airborne monster. It went straight into its chest and caused the monster to explode... and cause fireworks. As the fireworks burst in the sky, they formed the faces of the monsters that made their debut in the duel.

 **Mina: 0000 LP**  
 **Bella: 100 LP**

 **WINNER: BELLA!**

Everyone was silent at the results, not knowing how to take it all in as the field returned to normal. The silence was broken when they heard the sound of clapping, turning to the source, they saw Kohaku, Kazato and Kate happily clapping for the duelists as they stood from their seats. Kohaku and Bella's friends also stood and clapped. Soon enough, everyone else was giving an applause for both Bella and Mina.

Bella approached her former bully with a smile on her face. No, it wasn't a mocking smile; it was one filled with respect. She offered a hand to her. "That was a fun duel."

Mina slapped her hand away. "You're only saying that because you won that duel!"

"That's not true. Even if I didn't win that duel, I'd still find it fun."

"Then you should've just forfeited! Just give up instead of keep battling!"

"If I do that, I wouldn't be a real duelist." Mina looked at her in slight confusion. "A friend once told me that a real duel is suppose to be fun. To have a real duel is to smile. Forget your worries, forget the pain others inflicted onto me. And... I'm never alone while I'm dueling." She looked down at her borrowed deck as she said the last part. The monster spirits appeared around her and agreed with her words.

"Spoken like a true duelist!" Hibiki cried out.

"Why are you crying?" Chris questioned.

Mina just stared at the psychic duelist before her and actually took in her words. She then scoffed, stood up and took her leave.

"And with that amazing duel, Arabella Rosaline is the last participant for the next round!" Kazato shouted. Everyone cheered once more for the girl, who waved back in appreciation.

"With this, the first round is over. The next round will be tomorrow. Everyone rest up. We have a big day coming up," Kate told them. With that, everyone got up and left the building, excited for tomorrow to come.

"All right! I'm all pumped up tomorrow!" Judai shouted.

"I'm sure we all are," Tiffany said.

"Well. We should take Professor Kate's advice and rest early. It's gotten quite late now," Asuka said, looking at the time on her PDA.

"I'll get a bit of training in beforehand!" Kohaku said as she left the group.

"Took the words right out of my mouth!" Alex also took his leave.

Soon enough, they all left the room, either to train or to rest up.


	26. Representative Decisive Tournament Pt5

**Coral: Welcome to Round 2 of the Representative Duel! Since this is a Judai vs Misawa duel, yes it will be like the anime. HOWEVER! Because of the newly added Action Duel, this duel will be even more interesting and epic!** **Now, onwards to the story! I don't own any Yugioh things. I own Kohaku, her family and their decks. All the other OCs are from their respective creators.**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 ** _*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*_**

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

 _ ***OPENING***_

 ** _(Instrumental)_** _(_ _The scene begins with a nice top view of the island_ _)_

 ** _To the beginning sky... towards the shining light  
_** _(The camera looks up to the sky, having a nice view of it and the sun as the anime logo slowly appeared)  
_ ** _There's nothing to fear... because I'm here..._** _  
(Freakstar Dragon with Naruto on his back and Time Space Magician flew pass the logo the Spellcaster-type shined the crystal ball on his staff, changing the scene)_

 ** _Falling countless times to your knees_** _  
_ ** _Not protecting your own pride  
_** _(Kohaku slipped on a banana peel and was laughed at by many students. She laughed along with them)  
_ ** _Only coming up with just doubts_** _  
_ ** _Do not close your eyes just yet  
_** _(Alex and Bella looked at the scene in slight envy at how she was, in a way, getting along with many others despite her being in Red and daughter of a famous circus' ringmaster and walked their separate ways)_

 ** _I absolutely cannot see  
_** ** _the possibility that's here and now  
_** _(Judai was imagining himself as the next King of Games. Manjoume and his friends along with Chronos glared at how impossible it would be for him while Misawa, Shou and Hayato looked at him with interest or slight admiration)  
_ ** _When these tears turn into rain  
_** ** _I just want you to notice_** _  
(Asuka and Ryou were at the entrance of the Abandon Dorm and stared at a picture of the latter's brother with determination)_

 ** _Spit out all the vexing things  
_** ** _Because there's a meaning for taking things  
_** _(Bella was remembering the time when she was younger, getting bullied and being isolated by others because of her powers. Her patience went to her limit as she accidentally summoned a monster and released it onto them)  
_ ** _Even if you desire everything, you don't need to grasp it all  
_** _(_ _Alex was remembering when he was accepted into Duel Academy and told the principal that he wished to start at the lowest rank, just to be bullied by those of a higher rank_ _)  
_ ** _Just keep a hold of one most important thing_** _  
(Kohaku placed her hands on their shoulders and snapped them out of the memory lane and smiled at them then pushed them to the rest of their friends)_

 ** _In the beginning of the sky, I welcome you  
_** ** _do not ever look back just look forward  
_** _(Judai had out Flame Wingman, who fought against Chronos' Antique Gear Golem and Asuka's Cyber Blader, as Kohaku had out Time Space Magician, who was going head-to-head against Alex's Light and Darkness Dragon and Bella's Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama)  
_ ** _If you feel the wind on your back  
_** ** _then there won't be anything to worry about_** _  
(Shou and his monsters were looking at his brother and his monsters with determination, who smirked in approval, causing the younger sibling to smile back)_

 ** _If you would look around, you'd see all these smiling faces  
_** _(In another realm, it showed all of Kohaku, Bella, Alex, Judai, Shou, Hayato, and Asuka's monsters smiling at the camera)  
_ ** _Do not carry everything by yourself  
_** _(Kohaku was looking at her late sister's deck in her hand with a solemn look, the deck's monster spirits floating right by her side)  
_ ** _Don't rush either, the answer is along the way  
_** _(The scene turned dark and the whole gang were running towards the light)  
_ ** _you'll definitely find it for sure_** _  
(They arrived at a lighthouse, looking up at the night sky)_

* * *

It was the next day, which meant round two of the Representative Decisive Tournament. Already, the seats were being filled by many students.

In one certain group of friends, two duelists were more psyched than anyone else.

"I'm all fired up! I don't care which of you I'm dueling! I'll definitely win!" Judai declared.

"If you can put on a good show that is. I'll put on the best show ever and win this duel!" Kohaku followed.

Jacko then arrived at their circle of friends. "Hey guys!"

Bella, excited to see her boyfriend, instantly jumped on him. "Jacko~! I missed you~!"

"Sorry about that, Bella," he apologized, as he patted her head.

"Where were you yesterday?" Alex asked. "You just disappeared during lunch yesterday. And you said you had to use the bathroom."

"I had some business to take care of afterwards," Jacko replied. It was actually a lie. He noticed an old man in Osiris uniform sneaking around, gathering some information he shouldn't be gathering. In order to have him stop his snooping around and get him off the island, never to speak of what he learned, Jacko dueled him and won. In the middle of their duel, Jacko also somehow managed to get him to open his eyes about what dueling should really symbolize, what it had been since it was created; a game that connects many people's hearts.

"Well, since you missed out on half of our duels, you better not miss out on any one of our's this time! Even if it's for a bathroom break!" Tiffany demanded. "You might miss Bella's duel if you do!"

"Okay. I hear you."

The lights suddenly turned off, surprising everyone, except for one. A spotlight was then shone on the center of the field, Kazato standing in the middle of it.

" _Good morning, ladies and gentlemen~!_ " he shouted. "It is now time for today's round of duels!" All the students, and even the teachers, all cheered in excitement. "Those who pass this round will advance in the next round, which will happen later today! Now then, with that said, _are you ready for the excitement?!_ " They all cheered once more. "Then let's start Round 2! Kate!"

"I'm way ahead of you!" his wife responded as she typed something on her laptop. "The matchups are made! The first to duel in this round is Yuki Judai and Misawa Daichi!" The two duelists ran down the audience section and onto the duel field, both fired up for the duel.

"Judging from that face, I guess you finished it? That seventh deck," Judai asked.

"Yeah. Look forward to it. The deck that will defeat you," Misawa declared.

"I won't be losing, you know."

"Aniki! Do your best!" Shou cheered.

"The two of you! Give us a good show!" Kohaku shouted.

"This duel should be interesting," came Ryo's voice. The group turned and saw the third-year duelist joining them. "A duel between brains and luck."

"Yeah, I guess so," Asuka said. The circle of friends noticed her strange behavior and looked at her concerned. She noticed their looks and said, "It's nothing."

Kohaku, wanting to lift everyone's mood, then said, "Oh ho~? Asuka-chan, are you worried? For Judai."

"I-It's not like that!"

"Oh Asuka-chan. After this duel is over, you should-"

Asuka was suddenly sitting next to Kohaku and pinched her cheeks before she could finish. "I dare you to finish that sentence," she said in a scary tone.

"Ow ow ow ow! I won't I won't! Give! Give!" The blonde Obelisk released her. "Ow my cheeks..."

"You were asking for it," Tiffany pointed out. "And how did you get here that fast, Asuka?"

Back to the duel field, Kate had selected the Field Spell card for their duel. " _Okay! Here it is!_ Action Field, on! Field Magic, Wetlands activate!" The field changed into a grassy field with some swamps.

"Let's do this, Misawa! Duelists locked in battle!"

"Kicking against the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters!" Misawa followed after Judai.

"They storm through this field!"

"Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling!"

"Action!" everyone shouted along. "DUEL!"

 **Misawa: 4000 LP**  
 **Judai: 4000 LP**

"My turn! Draw!" Misawa drew his sixth card. "I summon Carboneddon in Defense Mode!" A dinosaur-like monster whose skin is made of metal appeared on the field.

 **Carboneddon: Level 3/EARTH/Dinosaur/800 ATK/600 DEF**

"I end my turn!"

Shou was shocked at the move he made. "A DEF of 600?! That won't be much of a wall for him! And he doesn't have any set cards to boot!"

Elie thought otherwise. "He could be waiting." Everyone looked at her in confusion. "Waiting for the right moment to use his deck's specialty."

Judai paid no heed to what Misawa was planning. "You will show me what the seventh deck is! My turn! Draw!" He drew his sixth card. "I summon Elemental Hero Burstlady!" His FIRE-type warrioress appeared on the field.

 **Elemental Hero Burstlady: Level 3/FIRE/Warrior/1200 ATK/800 DEF**

Misawa was taking mental notes on Judai's move. "Already drew a good card, I see."

"Let's go, Misawa! I use Burstlady to attack Carboneddon!" One punch was all it took for his monster to defeat Misawa's. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

"It's still the start of the duel. My turn. Draw!" Misawa drew his next card and smirked at the sight of it. "I summon Oxygeddon!" A dragon made of green wind appeared on the field.

 **Oxygeddon: Level 4/WIND/Dinosaur/1800 ATK/800 DEF**

"I use Oxygeddon to attack Burstlady!" Everyone watched in anticipation, when Judai intervened.

"Trap card, open! Hero Barrier! When an 'Elemental Hero' monster is on the field, this card negates an opponent's attack!" A force field appeared that protected Burstlady from Oxygeddon's attack. "My Elemental Heroes won't be beaten that easily."

"That I wonder. That's why you're Number One-kun," Misawa said. He looked down at the card he drew, his smirk still showing. "I set one card face-down and end my turn!"

"That card..." Seth muttered.

"Something wrong, Seth?" Alex asked.

"Misawa is good with calculations, so he must've drawn something that will grant him victory."

"Still, a duel isn't based on calculations alone. Judai has the ability to adapt with the flow of the duel," Asuka pointed out. Kohaku smirked as she looked at her, which the Obelisk instantly noticed. "NO KOHAKU!" Asuka pinched her cheeks once more, harder.

"OW OW OW OW! I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING THIS TIME!"

"But I know you were going to! I didn't say that out of any favoritism! It's only of what I think after watching him duel!"

Bella, Elie and Tiffany pried her hands off the girl's face. "Now, now, Asuka," Bella said, as Kohaku rubbed her cheeks.

"Man that hurts..."

Returning to the duel, it was Judai's turn. "My turn! Draw!" He drew his next card. "I'll summon Elemental Hero, Sparkman from my hand!" His lightning hero appeared on the field.

 **Elemental Hero, Sparkman: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/1600 ATK/1400 DEF**

"Next from my hand, I activate the Equip Magic, Spark Gun! I'm equipping it to Sparkman!" His monster has his signature weapon in his hand. "Because of this card's effect, I am able to change the battle mode of one monster! I switch Oxygeddon to Defense Mode!" Sparkman shot an electrifying bullet from his gun and forced his target to switch his position. "Now I attack Oxygeddon with Burstlady!" His female monster shot a fireball at her target.

"Judai! Do you know what happens with oxygen and fire clashes?!" Misawa questioned. Judai looked at him with a confused look. "You will be the first to witness this! I activate Oxygeddon's effect! When he's destroyed by a FIRE monster, both players take 800 points of damage!" The flames grew and hit both players. Everyone else in the audience tried to protect themselves from the heat.

 **Misawa: 3200 LP**  
 **Judai: 3200 LP**

"Nice try. But now your field is wide open!" Judai pointed out. "Go, Sparkman! You're attacking Misawa directly!" Sparkman shot an electrical ball at the defenseless Ra duelist.

Misawa rolled over to an Action card and grabbed it. "Action Magic, Evasion! This negates a monster's attack!" Misawa leaned back and watched as the attack pass him. A handful of students were surprised at Misawa's move.

"He used an Action card?!" Shou gasped. Everyone turned to him for an explanation. "The other day when we were taking the exam, Misawa said he didn't need to buy a pack because it would mess up his deck's calculation. To use an Action Card..."

"Maybe the deck was made for Action Duel," Elie guessed.

"That's a nice move," Kazato announced. "Not only did Misawa inflict damage onto Judai, he also prevented taking further damage."

"Now with that defense out of the way, I wonder how Misawa will go on with the offense," Kate said.

"Heh. Not bad, Misawa. I was surprised you used an Action Card," Judai said. "In your last duel, you didn't use any of the Action Cards."

"Well, since Professor Fiore and Kigara went out of their way to make this new form of duel, I should respect that through this duel," he reasoned. "Now let me show you this seventh deck's power! My turn! Draw!" Misawa drew his next card. "I summon Hydrogedon in Attack Mode!" A lizard-like monster made of muddy water appeared on the field.

 **Hydrogedon: Level 4/WATER/Dinosaur/1600 ATK/1000 DEF**

"I'll have Hydrogedon attack Burstlady!" His monster shot out some of its muddy water at Burstlady and destroyed her.

 **Misawa: 3200 LP**  
 **Judai: 2800 LP**

"Hydrogedon's special effect activates! When it destroys an opposing monster's by battle, I'm able to Special Summon another Hydrogedon from my deck!" Another Hydrogedon appeared on the field. "Next, from my hand, I activate the Equip Magic, Living Fossil! This Special Summons one monster from my Graveyard and it will be equipped onto that monster! Become a living fossil! Be revived, Oxygeddon!" His WIND Dinosaur-type returned to the field. "However its ATK is reduced by 1000 and its effect is negated."

 **Oxygeddon: 1800 - 1000 = 800 ATK**

"He's got three monsters," Seth said.

"And not just that, but those three monsters..." Elie noticed.

"With this, everything's set," Misawa said. "I activate the Magic card, Bonding H2O! When I have two Hydrogedon and one Oxygeddon on my field, or by essentially bonding two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, this will create water! I Special Summon Water Dragon!" The three monsters fused and a dragon-like monster made of water appeared.

 **Water Dragon: Level 8/WATER/Sea Serpent/2800 ATK/2600 DEF**

Judai was a bit mesmerized by the monster. "Water Dragon..."

"And just like that, he has his ace monster on the field," Shou said worriedly.

"Now that's a strong comeback," Jacko said. "Misawa destroyed one of Judai's monsters and summoned out a powerful monster."

"There's no way Sparkman is able to do this alone," Bella pointed out. "Judai's gonna need to summon out a strong monster."

"And the only way to do that is through Fusion Summon," Asuka added.

"I end my turn here," Misawa ended.

"That's impressive! An amazing combo!" Judai complimented. "But this is where things gets interesting! My turn! Draw!" Judai drew his next card. "Since you sacrificed three monsters to call out Water Dragon, your ace monster, I'll answer back to you in the same way. I activate the Magic card, Fusion! With this I fuse Sparkman on my field with Featherman and Bubbleman in my hand!"

"I've been waiting for this moment!" Misawa shouted. "Trap card open! Cursed of the Forbidden Magic! This card activates by discarding one Magic card from my hand! It negates the activation of my opponent's Magic card and destroys it!" Judai's Fusion backfired on him. "And the card destroyed by this effect cannot be used for the remainder of this duel!"

That shocked Judai the most. "What?! Are you saying I can't use Fusion?!"

"Your trump card are monsters summoned by fusing your Elemental Heroes together. And so disabling it is the best move."

"Now this is quite the turnaround! Misawa sealed Judai from using his deck to its fullest potential!" Kazato announced.

"And now that the Fusion Summon is canceled, how will Judai win this duel? And will the Action Cards scattered around him guide the young Osiris to victory?" Kate questioned.

"These are tactics I carefully thought out, especially for you! And there are no flaws in my calculations!" Misawa declared.

Judai's friends got concerned of the Osiris duelist.

"Aniki..." Shou spoke.

"Judai's at the disadvantage. Both in Life Points and in their monster's power," Hayato said.

"As expected from the top duelist of Ra Yellow," Ryo commented. "The trump cards in Judai's deck are monsters Special Summoned through fusing his 'Elemental Heroes'."

"So in other words, if he can't fuse, Judai can't win?" Tiffany asked.

"That's exactly what it means," Seth confirmed.

"Well this is a huge turnaround!" Kazato shouted. "Misawa completely blocked Judai off of the one thing his deck is best at! How will the Osiris duelist be able to respond to this?!"

"'Elemental Heroes' are strong when they're fused together. Although there are strong 'Elemental Hero' monsters without the need to Fusion Summon, they're much harder to summon out," Kate stated.

Judai decided to just end his turn with switching his lone Sparkman in Defense Mode and summoning Featherman onto the field, also in Defense Mode.

 **Elemental Hero Featherman: Level 3/WIND/Warrior/1000 ATK/1000 DEF**

"How is the seventh deck? The deck made to oppose you, threaten you?" Misawa asked.

"Yeah. I'm looking forward to it more than ever; how I'll beat the deck you put so much thought into!" Judai declared. "It's making me excited!"

Misawa was a bit shocked at the answer and quickly regained his cool. "That's just like you. But your chances of winning are relatively close to zero! And now I'll prove it! My turn! Draw!" As soon as the Ra drew his next card, Judai ran to search for Action cards. "I summon Mathematician in Attack Mode!" An elderly professor with a staff and a long white beard appeared on the field.

 **Mathematician: Level 3/EARTH/Spellcaster/1500 ATK/500 DEF**

"When this card is summoned, I send one card from my deck to the Graveyard and when Mathematician is destroyed in battle, I add one card from my deck to my hand," Misawa explained as he sent the top card of his deck to the Graveyard. "Here goes! I use Water Dragon to attack Sparkman! **Aqua Punisher!** " Misawa then dove to an Action Card near him. "And I activate the Action Magic, _**Sinking Swamp**_! This changes the battle position of one monster on the field! I change Sparkman to Attack Mode!" A swamp suddenly appeared under the 'Elemental Hero' monster as he was trying to get himself out. This proved useless as Water Dragon's attack landed on him.

 _ **(Sinking Swamp: Action Magic: Change the Battle Position of one monster on the field)**_

 **Misawa: 3200 LP**  
 **Judai: 1600 LP**

"Next I attack Featherman with Mathematician! **Battle Curriculum**!" Mathematician shot out a beam with mathematics coming out at Judai's last defense mechanism and destroyed him. Due to the force of the attack, Judai was sent flying and landed on his back.

"Now what will he do?" Shou asked. "Aniki's field is clear of monsters."

"This is definitely a desperate situation," Alex agreed.

Somewhere in the audience, Chronos was cheering for Misawa, since he was the one who nominated him. "He's being put down! As expected from the student I nominated- na no ne~!"

"And despite that, he's still in Ra Yellow," Daitokuji pointed out.

Chronos flinched at the fact.

"Well this is a huge pinch for Judai!" Kazato announced. "He now has no monsters on his field! Will he be able to turn it around next turn?"

"He won't have a next turn," Misawa declared.

"What?" Judai asked as he got up.

"If there are at least ten cards on top of it, from my Graveyard, Carboneddon's effect activates! By removing him from play, I can Special Summon from my hand or deck Diamond Dragon!" A gray scaled dragon with and orange underbelly, yellow scaly claws and horn appeared on the field.

 **Diamond Dragon: Level 7/LIGHT/Dragon/2100 ATK/2800 DEF**

"Time to finish this! I use Diamond Dragon to attack Judai directly! **Diamond Breath!** " The dragon breathed out some sort of gas right at the Osiris.

Judai saw an Action card and slid over to it. "Action Magic, Zero Penalty! This reduces a monster's ATK to zero permanently!" The attack dissipated as quickly as it was fired and Judai was safe from the attack.

 **Diamond Dragon: 2100 -} 0 ATK**

His male Osiris friends sighed in relief. "He survived..."

"Judai has some luck, getting the Action card he needed like that," Elie stated.

"Now we just have to see if he can keep his luck for much longer," Seth said.

"He will," Kohaku said. "As an Entertainer, I can tell. Judai isn't going to let any of those monsters stop him." Most of the group couldn't help but agree to that statement.

"My turn is finished," Misawa ended. "What do you think of my calculations? I'm sure you know there aren't any flaws in them."

"Calculations, huh? In duels things like that don't matter," Judai told him as he stood back on his feet. "In a duel, it's your heart that's important. As long as I don't admit defeat in my heart, I'll keep fighting!"

Kohaku and the others smiled in agreement to that statement.

"Judai is quite persistent, isn't he?" Bella said.

"But being persistent is Judai's good point," Hayato pointed out.

"My turn! Draw!" Judai drew his next card. "I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman in Attack Mode!" His blue armored hero appeared on the field.

 **Elemental Hero Bubbleman: Level 4/WATER/Warrior/800 ATK/1200 DEF**

"When I summon this monster and I have no other cards on the field, I draw two cards from my deck!" He drew two more cards. "And from my hand I activate an Equip Magic! Bubble Shot!" A huge water gun-like weapon appeared in Bubbleman's possession. "I equip it to Bubbleman and increase his ATK by 800!"

 **Elemental Hero Bubbleman: 800 + 800 = 1600 ATK**

"I use Bubbleman to attack Diamond Dragon!" The WATER Hero shot a huge water ball at his target. Misawa ran to an Action Card, followed by Judai. Both found and snatched a card.

"Action Magic, Battle Change! During this turn, once per opponent's monster, I can change their target to another monster!" Misawa said.

"Then Bubbleman will be destroyed!" Shou assumed.

"I change the target to Mathematician!" To most of the people's shock, Mathematician got in the way of the attack and was destroyed.

 **Misawa: 3100 LP**  
 **Judai: 1600 LP**

"And since Mathematician was destroyed by battle, I add a card from my deck to my hand." Misawa added a card to his hand.

"Why didn't he change the target to Water Dragon?" Tiffany asked.

"It was for Mathematician's effect," Elie answered. "Through Mathematician, a duelist can add any card he wants to his hand, increasing their winning chance even further, compared to just drawing random cards from the deck."

"So he has a good card in his hand?" Shou asked. The 'Ancient Gear' Obelisk student nodded in confirmation.

Back to the duel, Judai activated his own Action Card. "Action Magic! Wonder Chance! This allows a monster I control to attack again!" Bubbleman reloaded his weapon. "Go, Bubbleman! Attack Diamond Dragon!"

As soon as he fired a second shot, Misawa leapt from one big lily pad to another and snatched an Action Card. "Action Magic, Selection of Miracle! I can either prevent a monster's destruction through battle or reduce any damage I take by half! I still have plans for Diamond Dragon, so I will protect it!" A barrier appeared and protected Diamond Dragon.

"But you'll still be taking damage!" Judai pointed out.

 **Misawa: 1500 LP**  
 **Judai: 1600 LP**

"I set two cards face-down and activate the Continuous Magic, Mirage of Nightmare! I end my turn," he ended. "You're making a big mistake if you think my 'Elemental Heroes' are all about Fusion. The true power of 'Elemental Heroes' is pumped out by flawlessly combining Magics, Traps and Monsters! There are a lot of different combos!"

"Indeed, since I focused on stopping the strength of the powerful monsters of yours born through Fusion, I may have slightly misread my other calculations," Misawa admitted. "But it's still a fact that I've barred off the majority of your power! I'll still keep things going my way! My turn! Draw!"

The moment he drew his card, Judai said, "Now I'll activate the effect of the Continuous Magic, Mirage of Nightmare! With this card's effect, during my opponent's Standby Phase, I draw until I have four cards in my hand!" He drew his cards. "And then I'll open my reverse card! Instant Magic, Emergency Provisions! By sending one Magic or Trap card on my field to the Graveyard, this card recovers 1000 Life Points!" Judai then ran to the swamp and leapt on one lily pad to another to an Action Card. "I set one Action Magic and send it and Mirage Nightmare to the Graveyard!" Both cards were sent away by Emergency Provisions effect and Judai regained some Life Points.

 **Misawa: 1500 LP**  
 **Judai: 3600 LP**

"What a clever thinking on Judai's part! Indeed, Action Cards can be added to the hand and activated at any time, however they can also be set!" Kazato exclaimed.

"That's not all," Kate added. "By sending Mirage of Nightmare to the Graveyard, he avoided it's risk of discarding all cards in his hand to the Graveyard."

"It's not easy to bar off Judai's power," Ryo stated.

"Yeah," Asuka agreed. She sent a glare to Kohaku's direction, expecting her to say something, when she saw how focused she was on the duel, putting her at ease.

"You really need to confess." Until that.

Annoyed, Asuka pinched and pulled her cheeks. "Stay out of my love life!"

"Ow ow ow ow! Give! Give!"

Sighing, Alex and Bella once again separated the two.

"That's impressive," Misawa complimented his opponent. "But if you think my calculations were finished with that, you're also being naive!"

"What?!" Judai gasped.

"From my hand I activate the Magic card, Pot of Greed! With its effect I draw two cards!" Misawa drew more cards and jumped to an Action Card. He picked it up and smirked at it. "With Diamond Dragon, I attack Bubbleman! **Diamond Breath!** "

"But Bubbleman's ATK is higher," Shou pointed out.

"Not unless if that card he picked up..." Alex spoke.

"And I activate the Action Magic, Revival! If a monster's ATK is different from its original ATK, until the end of this turn, its ATK is its original ATK!" Diamond Dragon glowed a red aura, getting more power.

 **Diamond Dragon: 0 -} 2100 ATK**

Its attack hit, but only Bubbleman's weapon was destroyed.

"When the equipped monster would be destroyed by battle, Bubble Shot is destroyed in its place and I take no damage through that battle!" Judai explained.

"But you won't dodge the next one," Misawa pointed out. "I use Water Dragon to attack Bubbleman! **Aqua Punisher!** " Water Dragon shot water from its mouth and destroyed Bubbleman.

 **Misawa: 1500 LP**  
 **Judai: 1600 LP**

"Trap card open! Hero Signal! It activates when my monster is destroyed! I summon one 'Elemental Hero' monster from my deck or my hand! Come! Elemental Hero Clayman!" A heavily armored monster with a red helmet appeared on the field.

 **Elemental Hero Clayman: Level 4/EARTH/Warrior/800 ATK/2000 DEF**

Judai sighed in relief that he still has a monster on his field.

"Are you coming at me with preparations still made as you take attacks like this?" Misawa questioned.

"I told you not to think like I've lost already."

"I set one card face-down and end my turn. At this time, Revival's effect wears off of Diamond Dragon." As told, Diamond Dragon quickly seemed exhausted, losing all of its strength.

 **Diamond Dragon: 2100 -} 0 ATK**

"Okay! My turn! Draw!" Judai drew his next card. "From my hand I activate the Magic card, Warrior's Return! This card's effect can add one Warrior-type monster from my Graveyard to my hand! I add Bubbleman to my hand and summon him!" His WATER Hero returned to the field. Next up, the Magic card, Bubble Shuffle! This card switches Bubbleman on my field and an opponent's monster to Defense Mode!" Bubbleman and Water Dragon both switched to Defense Mode. "Next, by offering the Defense Position Bubbleman as a sacrifice, I can summon an 'Elemental Hero' monster from my hand! I'm summoning Elemental Hero Edgeman!" Bubbleman bursted into... well, bubbles. The bubbles then reformed themselves and a golden armored Hero stood before Judai.

 **Elemental Hero Edgeman: Level 7/EARTH/Warrior/2600 ATK/1800 DEF**

"He summoned a 2600 ATK monster without Fusion Summon?!" Elie gasped in shock.

"Not only that, but that monster..." Seth spoke.

"Has enough ATK to defeat Diamond Dragon!" Tiffany said.

"Except knowing Judai, he wouldn't go for the weak monster with his strongest," Asuka pointed out. "Which means his target is..."

"Water Dragon! But its DEF is 2600 too! At this rate, he can't defeat it!" Shou said.

"No, you're wrong!" Hayato corrected, thinking ahead of what Judai was thinking.

"And then I'll use this!" Judai's duel disk opened its Field Magic Zone, allowing him to put one certain card in it. "Field Magic, Skyscraper!" The once grassy, swampy field changed into the city. "When an 'Elemental Hero' monster battles and its ATK is lower than the opposing monster's, its ATK increases by 1000!" Edgeman's ATK had increased.

 **Elemental Hero Edgeman: 2600 + 1000 = 3600 ATK**

"Go Edgeman! You're attacking Water Dragon!" His monster rocketed himself to his opponent and destroyed it. "And Edgeman's special effect activates! If it attacks a monster in Defense Mode, and this card's ATK is higher than its DEF, it deals that difference as damage to the opponent!"

 **Misawa: 500 LP**  
 **Judai: 1600 LP**

 **Elemental Hero Edgeman: 3600 - 1000 = 2600 ATK**

"Since Water Dragon was destroyed, its special effect is also activated! I Special Summon one Oxygeddon and two Hydrogedon from my Graveyard!" The three monsters used to summon Water Dragon appeared back on the field in Defense Mode. "And I activate the Continuous Trap, Last Magnet! This card activates if a monster is destroyed! The monster that destroyed it loses 800 DEF!" A huge weight appeared on top of Edgeman, forcing him to hold it above him.

 **Elemental Hero Edgeman: 2600 - 800 = 1800 ATK**

"However, I still have Clayman! And he has enough ATK to destroy Diamond Dragon and finish you! Go, Clayman!" Judai's monster charged at the opposing dragon.

Misawa jumped on top of a mailbox and used it as a boost to snatch an Action card from a lamppost. "Action Magic, From the Brink of Defeat! This increases a battling monster's ATK by 800 for that battle!" Diamond Dragon gathered up some strength to prepare a counter against Clayman.

 **Diamond Dragon: 0 + 800 = 800 ATK**

Both attacks collided and caused an explosion.

"However, earlier you said you still have plans for Diamond Dragon. I don't know what that is, but it's gone now," Judai pointed out.

"I wonder if that's true," Misawa said, smirking. The smoke cleared and, to everyone's surprise, Diamond Dragon was still standing.

"What?! How?!"

"From the Brink of Defeat also prevents the monster it was used on from being destroyed by battle. And since it can only be used for one battle, the effects wear off of Diamond Dragon."

 **Diamond Dragon: 800 - 800 = 0 ATK**

Everyone was speechless at the battle.

"The two of them are giving everything they got," Hayato said.

"Amazing offense and defense..." said an amazed Shou.

Judai clenched his fists, trembling slightly. "Awesome... As I thought Action Duels are awesome! Now I do want to duel more people through Action Duel!"

Misawa smiled as if to agree with him. "My turn! Draw!" He then drew his next card. "From my hand I activate the Ritual Magic, Lithmus Death Ritual! I offer eight stars worth of sacrifice from my field or hand to Ritual Summon Lithmus Death Swordsman!" An electrifying pillar appeared behind his two Hydrogedon. The light flashed, engulfing the two. As it died down, now standing in their place was a masked swordsman in British clothes.

 **Lithmus Death Swordsman: Level 8/DARK/Warrior/0 ATK/0 DEF**

"An ATK of 0?!" the '-roid' duelist gasped.

"With an ATK that low and a Level that high, he must have a nasty effect," Alex said.

"This card is unaffected by Traps and cannot be destroyed by battle!" Misawa said. "It's evidently a swordsman of death! And when there's a Trap card on the field, like Last Magnet, his ATK and DEF becomes 3000!" The weight on Edgeman's back glowed and granted the Ritual Monster a huge boost in power.

 **Lithmus Death Swordsman: 0 -} 3000 ATK/0 -} 3000 DEF**

"I switch Oxygeddon to Attack Mode and use Lithmus Death Swordsman to attack Edgeman!" Said monster went in to attack Edgeman. Due to Skyscraper's effect, his ATK went up, but not enough to prevent his destruction or Judai's Life Points from decreasing.

 **Elemental Hero Edgeman: 1800 + 1000 = 2800 ATK**

 **Misawa: 500 LP**  
 **Judai: 1400 LP**

Because Edgeman was destroyed, Last Magnet was also destroyed, resulting in Lithmus Death Swordsman loss of power.

 **Lithmus Death Swordsman: 3000 -} 0 ATK/3000 -} 0 DEF**

"Now I attack directly with Oxygeddon!" Misawa's Dinosaur-type monster breathed out its dangerous breath at Judai, who rushed to an Action Card on a window.

"Action Magic, Attack and Defense Exchange! This switches a monster's ATK and DEF until the End Phase!" The attack got weaker, enough for Judai to still be in the game.

 **Oxygeddon: 1800 -} 800 ATK/800 -} 1800 DEF**

 **Misawa: 500 LP**  
 **Judai: 600 LP**

"From my hand I activate the Magic card, A Wingbeat of Giant Dragon!" Misawa continued. "With this effect, I return one Level 5 or higher Dragon-type monster on my field to my hand to destroy all Magic and Trap cards on both sides!" Judai grimaced as Skyscraper vanished and Wetlands was back as the main field. "I set one card face-down and end my turn!"

"No way! Aniki's monsters and Field Magic... They were all destroyed!" Shou said in disbelief.

"He's going to need all the luck he can get now," Elie said. "Not even the Action Cards can stall long enough for him to win."

It was all silent, as everyone watches in anticipation as to what Judai's next move will be.

"It's been fun, Misawa. I've never had such a fun duel before!" he said with his confident look on his face. Seeing that look shocked some people.

"This is the seventh deck I've put my all into! Now bring your all out on me as well!" Misawa challenged.

"Right! I'll bring everything I have! Draw!" Judai drew his next card. "I'll summon out a new Elemental Hero! Let's go, Elemental Hero Wildman!" A warrior who seemed to be raised from the wild appeared.

 **Elemental Hero Wildman: Level 4/EARTH/Warrior/1500 ATK/1600 DEF**

"Coming at me with 'Elemental Heroes' until the end, huh?" the Ra duelist questioned. "Trap card, open! Spirit Barrier! With this card's effect, as long as I have a monster on my field, I take no Battle Damage!"

"It's useless! Traps won't work on Wildman!"

"I know! However, because Spirit Barrier is a Continuous Trap card, Lithmus Death Swordsman's ATK becomes 3000!"

 **Lithmus Death Swordsman: 0 -} 3000 ATK/0 -} 3000 DEF**

"With an ATK like that, Wildman can't beat Lithmus," Tiffany stated.

"I activate the Equip Magic, Cyclone Boomerang! This card equips to Wildman and increases his ATK by 500!" A cyclone appeared and a boomerang came out of it. WIldman caught it and had his ATK increased.

 **Elemental Hero Wildman: 1500 + 500 = 2000 ATK**

"But it's still not enough," Seth pointed out.

Kohaku noticed something in the middle of the field. "Look over there!" They looked where she was pointing and saw what she saw.

"And Action Card!" Alex shouted. As if on cue, both duelists ran to the card at full speed. Both closed in, seemingly being able to get the card at the same time. In the end, Misawa got the card, and Judai just slid on the wet ground pass him.

"Action Magic, Attack Force," Misawa called. "Indeed this card would've helped you last another turn. But this duel is over!"

"Yeah, it's over all right," Judai calmly agreed, much to everyone's confusion. "Battle! I attack Lithmus with Wildman!" Now to their shock, Wildman threw his boomerang at Lithmus. "Next I activate the Action Magic, Miracle! This prevents a monster's destruction in a Battle and halves the Battle Damage for that battle! I use this on Lithmus!" Most of the people caught up to his plan, as they watched the boomerang hit a forcefield around Lithmus and destroyed its owner.

 **Misawa: 500 LP**  
 **Judai: 100 LP**

"Cyclone Boomerang's effect activates! When the equipped monster and this card are sent to the Graveyard, it destroys all Magic and Trap cards on the field and inflicts 500 points of damage to the opponent for each one!" Misawa gasped as the barrier protected him and his monster got destroyed and rained down on him, thus ending the duel.

 **Misawa: 000 LP**  
 **Judai: 100 LP**

 **WINNER: JUDAI!**

Everyone cheered at the unexpected result.

"WHAT A BATTLE!" Kazato shouted. "Yuki Judai did the impossible with the Action Cards and actually won the duel with them!"

"Now this is what I call a duel!" Kate followed. "The trust these duelists have in their deck, as well as the usage of Action Cards. I'd say this is one of the best duels I've ever seen!" Everyone applauded in agreement to her statement.

"Yuki Judai can't be calculated, can he?" Ryo said.

"It's almost like he has some unexpected power in him," Asuka said. She turned to Kohaku, expecting a comeback, when she saw the female Ra trembling. "Kohaku?" Everyone looked at her in slight concern.

"What's wrong?" Bella asked.

Unexpectedly, she let out a scream. "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU JUDAI! Who said you can take the spotlight like that?! That's suppose to be my thing!"

"That's what you're upset about?!" Alex shouted in disbelief.

Kazato overheard her shout, as did everyone else. "Hey! What do you mean your thing?! That's my thing too and you don't see me complaining!"

"Then obviously you lost your right as an Entertainment Duelist!"

Kazato let out a gasp and was suddenly in the middle of the duel field, on his hands and knees. The room got dark, leaving a spotlight on him. "I... I suppose you're right. It's been too long since I've done any form of entertainment, I was slowly losing my pride as a performer. I... Have no right to return to the world of entertainment!"

Kohaku got all teary eyed. "Dad..."

"Perhaps... I should might as well forget about going back to doing entertainments and slave myself day and night in a business company."

"What are you saying?! Of course you're allowed to return to being an entertainer again! You've been my goal practically since I was born! If you don't return, then I would have nothing to live for!"

Kazato looked up at his daughter. "Kohaku..."

"Dad..."

Both dramatically ran into each other's arms and cried on each other's shoulders, petals falling all over them. Seeing this, most of the people in the room also got emotional.

"You said it, Kohaku!" Judai cried, wiping away the tears with his sleeve.

"Where do those petals come from?" Bella asked, not that affected by the scene before her.

"I've a feeling this has become a routine for us," Alex said, also not affected by this.


	27. Representative Decisive Tournament Pt6

**Coral: Finally have this chapter up! This time it is Seth vs Alex! Darkus vs Twilight! Let's see who will be victorious!**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 ** _*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*_**

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

 _ ***OPENING***_

 ** _(Instrumental)_** _(_ _The scene begins with a nice top view of the island_ _)_

 ** _To the beginning sky... towards the shining light  
_** _(The camera looks up to the sky, having a nice view of it and the sun as the anime logo slowly appeared)  
_ ** _There's nothing to fear... because I'm here..._** _  
(Freakstar Dragon with Naruto on his back and Time Space Magician flew pass the logo the Spellcaster-type shined the crystal ball on his staff, changing the scene)_

 ** _Falling countless times to your knees_** _  
_ ** _Not protecting your own pride  
_** _(Kohaku slipped on a banana peel and was laughed at by many students. She laughed along with them)  
_ ** _Only coming up with just doubts_** _  
_ ** _Do not close your eyes just yet  
_** _(Alex and Bella looked at the scene in slight envy at how she was, in a way, getting along with many others despite her being in Red and daughter of a famous circus' ringmaster and walked their separate ways)_

 ** _I absolutely cannot see  
_** ** _the possibility that's here and now  
_** _(Judai was imagining himself as the next King of Games. Manjoume and his friends along with Chronos glared at how impossible it would be for him while Misawa, Shou and Hayato looked at him with interest or slight admiration)  
_ ** _When these tears turn into rain  
_** ** _I just want you to notice_** _  
(Asuka and Ryou were at the entrance of the Abandon Dorm and stared at a picture of the latter's brother with determination)_

 ** _Spit out all the vexing things  
_** ** _Because there's a meaning for taking things  
_** _(Bella was remembering the time when she was younger, getting bullied and being isolated by others because of her powers. Her patience went to her limit as she accidentally summoned a monster and released it onto them)  
_ ** _Even if you desire everything, you don't need to grasp it all  
_** _(_ _Alex was remembering when he was accepted into Duel Academy and told the principal that he wished to start at the lowest rank, just to be bullied by those of a higher rank_ _)  
_ ** _Just keep a hold of one most important thing_** _  
(Kohaku placed her hands on their shoulders and snapped them out of the memory lane and smiled at them then pushed them to the rest of their friends)_

 ** _In the beginning of the sky, I welcome you  
_** ** _do not ever look back just look forward  
_** _(Judai had out Flame Wingman, who fought against Chronos' Antique Gear Golem and Asuka's Cyber Blader, as Kohaku had out Time Space Magician, who was going head-to-head against Alex's Light and Darkness Dragon and Bella's Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama)  
_ ** _If you feel the wind on your back  
_** ** _then there won't be anything to worry about_** _  
(Shou and his monsters were looking at his brother and his monsters with determination, who smirked in approval, causing the younger sibling to smile back)_

 ** _If you would look around, you'd see all these smiling faces  
_** _(In another realm, it showed all of Kohaku, Bella, Alex, Judai, Shou, Hayato, and Asuka's monsters smiling at the camera)  
_ ** _Do not carry everything by yourself  
_** _(Kohaku was looking at her late sister's deck in her hand with a solemn look, the deck's monster spirits floating right by her side)  
_ ** _Don't rush either, the answer is along the way  
_** _(The scene turned dark and the whole gang were running towards the light)  
_ ** _you'll definitely find it for sure_** _  
(They arrived at a lighthouse, looking up at the night sky)_

* * *

After Judai and Misawa's duel, said duel ending with Judai's win, and Kohaku and Kazato's little moment, it was time for match two of the second round of the Representative Decisive Tournament. The ones to duel were Seth and Alex, both who were already on the field.

"A duelist with a DARK deck vs a duelist with a DARK and LIGHT deck. This will definitely be interesting," Kazato spoke. He then shouted, "Now then! With our two duelists on the field, how about we give them a field that best fits their deck?!"

Kate was already ahead of him and selected the perfect field for them. "Action Field on! Field Magic, Dark Sanctuary activate!" The field became quite dark and everyone was in a spooky kingdom.

"I-It's kind of scary in here..." Shou said.

"But it does fit both their decks," Elie said.

"They're lucky," Jacko complained. "If I was dueling in this field, I would show off my deck better."

"Maybe next time, Jacko," Bella said.

Down below, Alex started the chant. "Duelists locked in battle!"

"Kicking against the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters!"

"They storm through this field!"

"Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling!"

"Action!" everyone shouted along. "DUEL!"

 **Alex: 4000 LP**  
 **Seth: 4000 LP**

"I'll start first! Draw!" Seth drew his sixth card. "When I have no monsters on my field, I Special Summon Darkus Warius from my hand!" A purple, buff orge in black armor appeared on the field.

 **Darkus Warius: Level 5/DARK/Warrior/2200 ATK/1200 DEF**

"When summoned this way, Warius' ATK and DEF are halved," Seth added. A dark aura surrounded his monster as his power went down.

 **Darkus Warius: 2200 / 2 = 1100 ATK/1200 / 2 = 600 DEF**

"Then I release Warius to summon Darkus Reaper!" The ogre was suddenly covered by black fire and changed into a purple and black reaper, a purple scythe in hand.

 **Darkus Reaper: Level 5/DARK/Fiend/2400 ATK/2000 DEF**

"I end my turn with one card face-down!" Seth finished.

"Now this is a strong start," Kazato said.

"Indeed. Now I wonder how Alex will respond to that start," Kate agreed.

Speaking of, it was his move. "My turn! Draw!" He drew his sixth card. "I summon Kaiser Sea Horse!" His LIGHT Sea-Serpent Monster entered the field.

 **Kaiser Sea Horse: Level 4/LIGHT/Sea Serpent/1700 ATK/1650 DEF**

"I set two cards face-down and end my turn!" Alex then ran to find an Action card, in which Seth noticed.

"I won't let you get one! Draw!" He drew his next card. "I summon Darkus Fear Ripper!" His black and purple big-clawed monster appeared on the field.

 **Darkus Fear Ripper: Level 4/DARK/Fiend/1900 ATK/1300 DEF**

"I activate his effect to change his attribute to FIRE!" Fear Ripper's color changed into red and orange.

 **Darkus Fear Ripper: DARK -} FIRE**

"Next I activate the Magic Card, Fusion! With this I fuse Darkus Fear Ripper and Serpenoid from my hand! Red mysterious devil, black snake! Become one and give birth to a new power! FUSION SUMMON! Appear now, Darkus Centorrior!" His purple centaur warrior appeared on the field.

 **Darkus Centorrior: Level 6/DARK/Warrior/2600 ATK/2000 DEF**

"Battle! I attack Kaiser Sea Horse with Reaper! **Death Scythe**!" Reaper charged at Alex's lone monster.

Alex found an Action Card on a knight's helmet and grabbed it. "Action Magic, Battle Lock! This turn my opponent's monsters cannot attack!" Chains appeared and bind Seth's monsters.

"Trap Card open! Sneak Attack!" Seth activated his face down. "By releasing one 'Darkus' monster, I can destroy one monster my opponent controls and deal damage to them equal to the destroyed monster's ATK!" Reaper merged with the shadows and made his way over to Kaiser Sea Horse and Alex. The older Ra saw an Action card and ran to it, but was too slow for his monster was destroyed and he took damage.

 **Alex: 2300 LP**  
 **Seth: 4000 LP**

"Damn it..." he cursed as he got back up.

"I set one card face-down and end my turn," Seth ended.

"My turn! Draw!" Alex drew his next card. "I banish Kaiser Sea Horse from my Graveyard to Special Summon Somber-Black Dragon Collapsarpent from my hand!" Alex's black and orange dragon appeared on the field.

 **Somber-Black Dragon Collapsarpent: Level 4/DARK/Dragon/1800 ATK/1700 DEF**

"Next I activate the Equip Magic, Different Dimension Revival! With this, I am able to Special Summon a monster from my Banish Zone! Return to me, Kaiser Sea Horse!" Alex's monster returned to his field. "Kaiser Sea Horse counts as two releases for a LIGHT Monster! I release him to Advance Summon Light and Darkness Dragon!" One of Alex's best monster appeared on the field.

 **Light and Darkness Dragon: Level 8/LIGHT/Dragon/2800 ATK/2400 ATK**

Despite summoning one of his strongest monsters, Alex still ran in search for an Action card. ' _If I just declare for an attack, Seth's face-down might activate and trigger Light and Darkness Dragon's effect and weaken it enough for Centorrior to beat it. I have hurry and find an Action card before that happens,_ ' he thought. He spotted one just on a scary painting at the end of one set of stairs. He snatched it and smiled at the card. "Battle! I attack Centorrior with Light and Darkness Dragon! **Shining Breath!** "

Instead of his set card, however, Seth got an Action Magic himself and activated it. "Action Magic, Miracle! This negates a monster's destruction through battle and halves the battle damage one would've taken from that battle!"

Alex knew his monster can't resist using his effect and had no choice but to use it. "I activate Light and Darkness Dragon's effect! By paying 500 of its ATK and DEF, I can negate the activation of a card or effect and destroy it! **Dark Baptism**! And Action Magic, Attack and Defense Exchange! This switches a monster's ATK and DEF stat! And I'll use this effect on Darkus Centorrior!"

"Don't think I still don't have a counter for this. Trap activate! Blackout!" Black mist appeared and surrounded the monsters. "During the Battle Phase this turn, my opponent cannot declare attacks or activate any other card effects!"

"What?!" Alex gasped, as his cards' effects were negated, as well as his monster's attack.

"Also, I draw one card for each DARK monster on the field. If I recall, Light and Darkness Dragon counts as a DARK Monster. In other words, I'll draw three cards."

"In that case, I switch Somber-Black Dragon Collapsarpent to Defense Mode and end my turn!" Alex ran to an Action Card.

"My turn! Draw!" Seth drew his next card. "I activate the Continuous Magic, Antimatter Burst!"

"At this time, Light and Darkness Dragon's effect activates and negates your card's effect with the cost of 500 ATK and DEF!" Alex shouted. "And I activate the Instant Magic, Charge!" Alex activated his face-down. "This gives Light and Darkness Dragon 700 more ATK! Just enough to protect itself from Centorrior's attack!"

"I wonder about that. I activate the Instant Magic, Double Dimension! This negates the effects of Magic cards this turn! And that includes Action Magic!" Alex gasped as he watched his monster get weaker for practically nothing.

 **Light and Darkness Dragon: 2800 - 500 = 2300 ATK/2400 - 500 = 1900 DEF**

"Battle! I attack Light and Darkness Dragon with Centorrior!" Seth's monster went to attack Alex's. One jab with its weapon and the Dragon-type monster was destroyed.

 **Alex: 2000 LP**  
 **Seth: 4000 LP**

"I activate Light and Darkness Dragon's effect! When destroyed, I destroy all cards I control to Special Summon a monster from my Graveyard! And I activate the Trap card, Rope of Life! By discarding my whole hand to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a monster that was destroyed by battle from my Graveyard! Return to me, Light and Darkness Dragon and Kaiser Sea Horse!" Alex's monsters returned to the field in Defense Mode. "Since Light and Darkness Dragon was Special Summoned back on the field, his ATK and DEF are reverted back to normal. Also, the monster summoned by Rope of Life gains 800 more ATK!"

 **Light and Darkness Dragon: 2800 + 800 = 3600 ATK**

"And since Somber-Black Dragon Collapsarpent was sent from field to Graveyard, I add his counterpart, Shimmering-White Dragon Wyburster from my deck to my hand!" He added said card to his hand.

"Then I guess I'll set one card face-down. Turn end," Seth finished. He then ran up the stairs to search for an Action card.

"I draw!" Alex drew his next card, bringing his hand to two. "Battle! I attack Darkus Centorrior with Light and Darkness Dragon! **Shining Breath**!"

The 'Darkus' duelist found an Action card on a vase and activated it. "Action Magic, Avoid! This negates a monster's attack!"

"With Light and Darkness Dragon's effect, I pay 500 ATK and DEF to negate the effect! **Dark Baptism!** "

"I activate my Trap Card, Shadow Fusion! By discarding one card from my hand to the Graveyard and targeting one DARK Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck, I can banish one 'Fusion' and that Fusion Monster's Fusion Materials to Special Summon that monster! I banish my recently discarded Darkus Hydranoid and Darkus Serpenoid! Great fearsome hydra, gain the power of the piercing snake and give birth to a new power! FUSION SUMMON! Appear now, undying creature of darkness! Darkus Dual Hydranoid!" Seth's two headed Fusion Monster appeared on the field.

 **Darkus Dual Hydranoid: Level 6/DARK/Dragon/2600 ATK/1300 DEF**

At the same time, Light and Darkness Dragon's power went down for the Action Magic.

 **Light and Darkness Dragon: 3600 - 500 = 3100 ATK/2400 - 500 = 1900 DEF**

"Try and attack me. Go on. I dare you," Hydranoid challenged.

Alex was aware of Dual Hydranoid's effect and saw Seth running in search for an Action Card. "Like I'll let you," he muttered as he began his own search. "I will resume the battle and have Light and Darkness Dragon attack Dual Hydranoid! **Shining Breath**!" His monster shot out another breath attack at Dual Hydranoid.

To Alex's horror, Seth already found and Action Card and activated it. "Action Magic, _ **Dark Energy**_! This gives a monster 500 more ATK and piercing damage! I give this effect to Dual Hydranoid!" The 'Darkus' monster had a black aura surrounding its body, flowing with power.

 _ **(Dark Energy: Action Magic: Until the End Phase, a monster gains 500 ATK and inflict piercing damage)**_

"Damn it..." the older Ra cursed. "Through Light and Darkness Dragon's effect, I pay 500 of its ATK and DEF to negate and destroy that effect! **Dark Baptism!** "

"I activate Dual Hydranoid's special ability to negate Light and Darkness Dragon's effect and gain 500 ATK! **Destruction Impact!** " Seth's Fusion Monster jumped into the effect move and grabbed onto his opponent.

 **Darkus Dual Hydranoid: 2600 + 500 + 500 = 3600 ATK**

The Fusion Monster then slammed Light and Darkness Dragon onto the ground and shot out powerful energy balls at the downed dragon.

 **Alex: 1500 LP**  
 **Seth: 4000 LP**

"What a play! Seth completely destroyed Light and Darkness Dragon!" Kazato shouted.

"It seems that Light and Darkness Dragon's one weakness really is Action Duel. With so many usable cards on the field, it's easy to put that monster on the same level as a Level 4 or lower monster," Kate observed.

In the audience, Alex and Seth's friends were mostly shocked at what had occurred.

"Light and Darkness Dragon was defeated!" Bella shouted.

"Guess Seth wasn't a genius prodigy for nothing," Misawa said. "Especially with this kind of duel."

"Light and Darkness Dragon's effect instantly activates when a card effect is activated, so in Action Duels, it's actually at a disadvantage," Jacko said.

"Well, it's a good thing Light and Darkness Dragon is gone," Kohaku said. Everyone looked at her in shock.

"You see this as a good thing?" Asuka asked.

"Because Light and Darkness Dragon is preventing Alex from going all out." It was when she said that, most of them knew what she meant.

"I should thank you for getting rid of Light and Darkness Dragon, even though it pains me to see one of my aces gone," Alex said to Seth.

"I know what you mean. After all, I wouldn't really call this a duel against you if I don't go against your true ace," Seth replied.

"Spoken like a true duelist, aren't we? In that case, I activate the Magic Card, Pot of Greed to draw two more cards!" The Twilight Duelist drew two more cards. "I'll switch Kaiser Sea Horse to Defense Mode! I set one card face-down and end my turn!"

"At this time, Dark Energy and Dual Hydranoid's effect wears off." As soon as the young Ra said that, his monster's ATK was reverted back to normal.

 **Darkus Dual Hydranoid: 3600 - 1000 = 2600 ATK**

"My turn! Draw!" Seth drew his next card. "I summon Darkus El Condor!" A black and purple totem-shaped, shaman-like monster appeared on the field.

 **Darkus El Condor: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1000 ATK/1000 DEF**

"Darkus El Condor can allow a Fusion Summon for a 'Darkus' Fusion Monster without the use of 'Fusion'! Also, he can be used for a substitute Fusion Material! So I fuse Darkus El Condor as Darkus Dual Hydranoid with Darkus Centorrior! Fearsome two-headed hydra. Drain the power of your comrade and reach a new level! FUSION SUMMON! Appear now, deadly draconic hydra! Darkus Alpha Hydranoid!" Hydranoid's true form appeared on the field.

 **Darkus Alpha Hydranoid: Level 8/DARK/Dragon/3000 ATK/2000 DEF**

"Well this is going to feel weird," Dual Hydranoid said. "I'm fighting alongside my stronger counterpart."

"I'm guessing there's only one Hydranoid soul," the Twilight duelist asked.

"Guilty as charge," Seth replied. "However, don't think that I'll go easy just because you got something right about my deck! I attack Kaiser Sea Horse with Alpha Hydranoid! **Indigo Nightmare**!" His monster prepared to attack his target. "And at this time, Alpha Hydranoid's effect activates! When this card attacks a Defense Position Monster with a lower DEF than his ATK, he inflicts piercing damage to the opposing player! **Final Demolition**!" The attack went through Alex's monster and hit the duelist.

 **Alex: 150 LP**  
 **Seth: 4000 LP**

"Next, I'll have Dual Hydranoid attack the player directly! Go! **Dual Gazer**!" Dual Hydranoid released a dose of his attack at Alex, who leapt over the rail to avoid the attack and reach an Action card on the floor below him. "You won't escape!" The attack redirected itself just to get to its target, who managed to get the card.

"Action Magic, Damage Vanish! If I were to take Battle Damage, I can reduce it to zero!"

"Dual Hydranoid's effect! Once per turn, I can negate the activation of a card and destroy it! And then Dual Hydranoid gains 500 ATK until the End Phase! **Destruction Impact**!" Seth's monster's attack just got bigger and more fearsome as it inched closer to Alex.

 **Darkus Dual Hydranoid: 2600 + 500 = 3100 ATK**

"In that case, Trap Card, Defense Draw activate! This reduces a Battle Damage I would've taken to zero and allows me to draw a card!" A barrier appeared and protected Alex as he drew his next card.

"However, it won't save you from Dual Hydranoid's second attack! **Dual Gazer**!" The DARK Monster released another pair of energy balls at the defenseless opponent.

"From my hand, I activate Freakstar Dragon's special ability! If I were to take at least 2000 worth of damage, I can Special Summon this card and negate that attack!" Alex's crazy dragon partner appeared on the field.

 **Freakstar Dragon: Level 4/DARK/Dragon/1500 ATK/2000 DEF**

" _Oh yeah! Time to go... FREAKY!_ " the newly summoned monster shouted in English, as he suddenly had on a creepy mask that miraculously scared off the attack. Freakstar removed the mask, laughing wildly.

The audience became either nervous or slightly frightened at the new monster.

"Must you request that kind of monster?" Asuka asked Kohaku.

"Must you hide your true feelings from-?" Before Kohaku could finish that question, Asuka was pinching and pulling her cheeks incredibly hard.

"Must you still bring that up?" she asked in a scary tone. Seeing her like this, everyone around them left Kohaku to her painful fate. All of Kohaku and Bella's monsters couldn't help but feel pity for the girl.

"She should've learned her lesson," Hibiki said.

"This coming from you?" Chris asked.

Back on the duel field, Seth and Alex resumed their duel, despite feeling uneasy about the newly summoned monster themselves. Even Seth's monsters, namely Dual Hydranoid, felt uneasy about him.

"Are you... always this crazy?" he dared ask.

"Not crazy; _FRRRRRREAKAY~!_ " Freakstar corrected with pride.

"Anyway... I end my turn," Seth ended.

"My turn then. Draw!" Alex started his turn and drew his next card. "I activate the Magic card, Painful Choice! I reveal five cards from my deck and you have to choose which of those five will be added to my hand!" The cards Alex revealed from his deck were two Eclipse Wyvern, Allure of Darkness, Black Core, and Gaia, the Knight of Polar Knights.

"Those five cards... In that case... Gaia, the Knight of Polar Knights to your hand!" Alex added the card to his hand.

"And now... Things are about to get wild around here! I activate Eclipse Wyvern's effect! When they're sent to the Graveyard, I can banish one Level 7 or higher LIGHT or DARK Dragon-type monster from my deck! Since two of them are in my Graveyard, I banish two monsters! And those two are Dark Armed Dragon and Lightray Diabolos!" The Twilight Duelist pocketed the two cards from his deck. "And now, from my hand I activate Shimmering-White Dragon Wyburster's effect! By banishing one DARK monster from my Graveyard, I am able to Special Summon this card! I banish Somber-Black Dragon Collapsarpent to Special Summon it!" Alex pocketed another card and summoned out his LIGHT Dragon-type monster.

 **Shimmering-White Dragon Wyburster: Level 4/LIGHT/Dragon/1700 ATK/1800 DEF**

"I now banish these two monsters to fuse them! Dragon that runs at his own pace, dragon that shimmers about! Become one and give birth to a new twilight! FUSION SUMMON! Appear now, dragon born from the light and darkness! Twilight Dragon!" Alex's ace monster appeared on the field.

 **Twilight Dragon: Level 10/LIGHT/Dragon/? ATK/? DEF**

"First, Freakstar's effect! When used to summon a Dragon-type Fusion Monster, I can banish one card in my Graveyard and one card deck face-up! The two cards I'm banishing are Light and Darkness Dragon from my Graveyard and Lightray Madoor from my deck!" Two more cards were pocketed. "When Twilight Dragon is summoned, not only are his ATK and DEF 200 times the total Level of all Banished LIGHT Monsters in our banished zone, he also banishes card on the field equal to the number of DARK monsters in both our Banish Zone! There's only one DARK Monster in my banished Zone and two in yours! That means I am able to banish up to three cards! I choose to Banish your monsters!"

"Like I'll let you! I activate Dual Hydranoid's effect! Your Twilight Dragon's effect is negated and the dragon itself is destroyed! **Destruction Impact!** " Seth's two-headed Fusion Monster released its attack on Twilight Dragon and destroyed him.

 **Darkus Dual Hydranoid: 2600 + 500 - 3100 ATK**

Everyone was shocked at the scene before them.

"Alex's ace monster was destroyed!" Shou shouted.

"Now what will he do?!" Tiffany asked.

Out of everyone, Kohaku was the only one who was smirking.

Down on the field below, Seth also noticed that Alex didn't seem that upset of his monster's destruction. "What's wrong? I defeated your ace monster!"

"Do you really think I changed my duel style to just focus of Twilight Dragon? Think again! I activate Twilight Dragon's special ability!" The audience and Seth were even more shocked at the next move. "When he's destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, I can banish him instead to bring back monsters that were used to summon him! So return to my side, Freakstar Dragon, Shimmering-White Dragon Wyburster!" The smoke from Twilight Dragon's destruction cleared and revealed the two monsters that were used to summon him.

" _OH YEAH!_ That was some freaky stuff there!" Freakstar shouted.

"However, for your duelist to leave you in Attack Mode, he must be a fool," Dual Hydranoid assumed.

"Oh ho?! Think again!" As soon as the DARK Dragon-type said that, he was suddenly surging with power, as well as Shimmering-White Dragon Wyburster.

 **Freakstar Dragon: 1500 + 100 x 8 = 1500 + 800 = 2300 ATK**

 **Shimmering-White Dragon Wyburster: 1700 + 100 x 8 = 1700 + 800 = 2500 ATK**

"What the-?! Where did that boost come from?!" Seth demanded.

"Twilight Dragon also grants its Fusion Materials more power," Alex replied. "And it is here I summon Gaia, the Knight of Polar Knights!" His black knight of his white horse appeared on the field.

 **Gaia, the Knight of Polar Knights: Level 4/DARK/Warrior/1600 ATK/1200 DEF**

"And now I activate his effect! By banishing one LIGHT Monster from my Graveyard like Kaiser Sea Horse, I grant one of my monsters 500 more ATK! I give this boost to Shimmering-White Dragon Wyburster!" The spirit of Alex's monster appeared and fused with his LIGHT Dragon-type.

 **Shimmering-White Dragon Wyburster: 2500 + 500 = 3000 ATK**

"Your monster may have gotten stronger, but you're still far from being able to defeat me!" Seth declared.

"I wonder about that. Battle! I attack Darkus Alpha Hydranoid with Wyburster! **Shimmering Spark**!" Alex's declared dragon was surging with electricity as it charged at Seth's ace monster, who fired his own attack at this opponent. The LIGHT Dragon avoided the shot and collided with its opponent, destroying them both. "And now I attack Dual Hydranoid with Freakstar Dragon! **Crazy Shooting Star!** " Everyone was shocked at the declaration.

"Wait a second! If you attack, you'll lose!"

"From my hand, I activate the Instant Magic, _**Chaos Empowerment**_!" Alex activated the last card that was in his hand. "With this card, a monster I control gains 500 ATK for each monster in either player's Banish Zone! The monsters banished are your Darkus Hydranoid and Serpenoid and my Light and Darkness Dragon, Lightray Diabolos, Dark Armed Dragon, Lightray Madoor, Somber-Black Dragon Collapsarpent, Kaiser Sea Horse and Twilight Dragon! That's a total of nine monsters and 3600 ATK! And the monster gaining this boost is Freakstar Dragon!"

"Time to go SUUUUUUUPEEEEEERRRRRR FREAKY!" said monster shouted as he took flight.

 **Freakstar Dragon: 2300 + 3600 = 5900 ATK**

 _ **(Chaos Empowerment: Instant Magic: Target one monster your control; that monster gains 400 ATK and DEF for each monster in either player's Banish Zone. That monster gains one of these additional effects depending on the monster's original Attribute:  
LIGHT: Gain Life Points equal to its original ATK or DEF  
DARK: Inflict damage to your opponent equal to its original ATK or DEF)**_

Seth spotted an Action card on his side and ran to it. Likewise, Alex saw a card on his side and dashed to it. Both boys snatched their cards.

"Action Magic, _**Shadow Scratch**_! This prevents a monster from attacking and activating its effects!" Seth shouted. Freakstar's shadow came out of the ground and went to stop its original self.

 _ **(Shadow Scratch: Action Magic: Target one monster on the field. That monster cannot attack or activate its effects)**_

The two monsters went closer and closer, about to collide when suddenly, the shadow stopped in its track. Freakstar went pass it. The shadow looked around before scratching its head, as if wondering what it was doing. After shrugging its shoulders, the shadow vanished.

"What?!" the Ra prodigy gasped.

"Action Magic, No Action! This negates the effects of Action Card!" Alex called, revealing his card.

With no other protection, Seth looked up at the falling dragon and saw that the fall was similar to watching a shooting star. In fact, everyone noticed that.

"That attack..." Kazato spoke.

"Is there a problem, honey?" Kate asked her husband.

"Far from it actually." She noticed a small grin on his face.

Soon enough, the attack hit and Dual Hydranoid got destroyed and Seth's Life Points went down drastically.

 **Alex: 150 LP**  
 **Seth: 1200 LP**

"And lastly! I activate Chaos Empowerment's second effect! Depending on the monster's Attribute, I can activate one of the two other effects it has! Freakstar Dragon is a DARK monster! As a result I will inflict damage onto you equal to his ATK or DEF!" Freakstar formed a black energy ball between his hands and tossed it at Seth, ending the duel.

 **Alex: 150 LP**  
 **Seth: 0000 LP**

 **WINNER: ALEX!**

Everyone cheered as the field returned to normal.

"That's the result! The winner moving on is Alejandro Nagase!" Kazato announced, causing everyone to cheer even louder.

"Nice duel, you two!" Judai cheered.

"Good win, Alex! Seth you did great too!" Kohaku followed.

"They did great," Jacko stated.

"Yeah. But in the end, there can only be one winner," Bella pointed out.

Down on the field below, the two Ras approached each other.

"That was a fun duel, Seth," Alex commented.

"Same here. I never thought you had that kind of trump card on you," the young prodigy stated.

"I guess so."

Seth held out his hand. "Good luck in the next round."

Alex accepted the hand and shook it. "Of course!"

"Now then, moving on to the next match, we have Arabella Rosaline and Tenjoin Asuka dueling each other," Kate announced.

"So next round is Bella and Asuka," Elie said.

"Which means the last match will be us," Tiffany said, referring to herself and Kohaku.

"Let's make our duel the most entertaining one of them all," the 'Circus Freak' duelist told the 'Melodious' duelist.

"In the mean time, let's do our best in our duel," Asuka said to her opponent.

"Let's," she nodded in agreement.


	28. Representative Decisive Tournament Pt7

**Coral: New chapter at last. And here, we will be having two duels, mainly because the first one was a bit too quick to finish. Now then, enjoy the story.**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 ** _*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*_**

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

 _ ***OPENING***_

 ** _(Instrumental)_** _(_ _The scene begins with a nice top view of the island_ _)_

 ** _To the beginning sky... towards the shining light  
_** _(The camera looks up to the sky, having a nice view of it and the sun as the anime logo slowly appeared)  
_ ** _There's nothing to fear... because I'm here..._** _  
(Freakstar Dragon with Naruto on his back and Time Space Magician flew pass the logo the Spellcaster-type shined the crystal ball on his staff, changing the scene)_

 ** _Falling countless times to your knees_** _  
_ ** _Not protecting your own pride  
_** _(Kohaku slipped on a banana peel and was laughed at by many students. She laughed along with them)  
_ ** _Only coming up with just doubts_** _  
_ ** _Do not close your eyes just yet  
_** _(Alex and Bella looked at the scene in slight envy at how she was, in a way, getting along with many others despite her being in Red and daughter of a famous circus' ringmaster and walked their separate ways)_

 ** _I absolutely cannot see  
_** ** _the possibility that's here and now  
_** _(Judai was imagining himself as the next King of Games. Manjoume and his friends along with Chronos glared at how impossible it would be for him while Misawa, Shou and Hayato looked at him with interest or slight admiration)  
_ ** _When these tears turn into rain  
_** ** _I just want you to notice_** _  
(Asuka and Ryou were at the entrance of the Abandon Dorm and stared at a picture of the latter's brother with determination)_

 ** _Spit out all the vexing things  
_** ** _Because there's a meaning for taking things  
_** _(Bella was remembering the time when she was younger, getting bullied and being isolated by others because of her powers. Her patience went to her limit as she accidentally summoned a monster and released it onto them)  
_ ** _Even if you desire everything, you don't need to grasp it all  
_** _(_ _Alex was remembering when he was accepted into Duel Academy and told the principal that he wished to start at the lowest rank, just to be bullied by those of a higher rank_ _)  
_ ** _Just keep a hold of one most important thing_** _  
(Kohaku placed her hands on their shoulders and snapped them out of the memory lane and smiled at them then pushed them to the rest of their friends)_

 ** _In the beginning of the sky, I welcome you  
_** ** _do not ever look back just look forward  
_** _(Judai had out Flame Wingman, who fought against Chronos' Antique Gear Golem and Asuka's Cyber Blader, as Kohaku had out Time Space Magician, who was going head-to-head against Alex's Light and Darkness Dragon and Bella's Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama)  
_ ** _If you feel the wind on your back  
_** ** _then there won't be anything to worry about_** _  
(Shou and his monsters were looking at his brother and his monsters with determination, who smirked in approval, causing the younger sibling to smile back)_

 ** _If you would look around, you'd see all these smiling faces  
_** _(In another realm, it showed all of Kohaku, Bella, Alex, Judai, Shou, Hayato, and Asuka's monsters smiling at the camera)  
_ ** _Do not carry everything by yourself  
_** _(Kohaku was looking at her late sister's deck in her hand with a solemn look, the deck's monster spirits floating right by her side)  
_ ** _Don't rush either, the answer is along the way  
_** _(The scene turned dark and the whole gang were running towards the light)  
_ ** _you'll definitely find it for sure_** _  
(They arrived at a lighthouse, looking up at the night sky)_

* * *

Bella and Asuka were down on the duel field, waiting for Kate to select their Action Field.

"Okay. I think I got it," she said. "Let's go! Action Field, on! Field Magic, Infinite Bridges activate!" The two girls were suddenly on a bridge. In fact the area turned into a large empty space with nothing but bridges as footings. Even the audience were standing on bridges.

"Whoa! There are bridges everywhere!" Judai shouted.

Shou looked down and regretted doing so as he quickly moved away from the edge. "I can't see the ground; we're too far up."

"Oh come on. It's just a hologram. We only look like we're too far up," Alex said. Despite that, he was unsure himself if that was true.

"Even if this is a hologram, the fall will be real," Kohaku told them.

"So we will seriously die if we fall off?!" Jacko asked.

"Yeah." Those who were scared of heights took a step away from the railings.

Down on the field, Bella didn't at all seem okay with the field chosen. "Out of all fields, why does it have to be one that includes heights?" Yeah, she was that traumatized from all the training that had to do with heights as well as the time when Freakstar Dragon was first summoned.

"Calm down, Bella," Sakura told her.

"Don't tell me to calm down," she grumbled.

"Hey... Are you okay?" Asuka asked.

"Yeah... Just peachy..." Bella cleared her throat. "Duelists locked in battle!"

"Kicking against the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters!"

"They storm through this field!"

"Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling!"

"Action! DUEL!"

 **Asuka: 4000 LP**  
 **Bella: 4000 LP**

"I'll start!" Bella drew her sixth card. "I activate the summon Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Naruto in Defense Mode!" Her blonde ninja appeared on the field.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Naruto: Level 4/WIND/Warrior/1400 ATK/800 DEF**

"I set two cards face-down and end my turn!"

"My turn! Draw!" Asuka drew her next card. "From my hand I activate the Magic card, Fusion! I fuse Blade Skater and Etoile Cyber! Elegant dancer, dancer of blades, become one and become a fierce dancer! FUSION SUMMON! Appear now, great elegant dancer, Cyber Blader!" Asuka's ace monster appeared on the field.

 **Cyber Blader: Level 7/EARTH/Warrior/2100 ATK/1800 DEF**

"And I activate the Equip Magic, White Veil!" Cyber Blader had on a veil. "Battle! Cyber Blader attacks Naruto!" Her monster went to attack Bella's lone monster. "At this time, White Veil's effect activates! All of your Magic and Trap cards are destroyed!"

"I activate the Instant Magic, Tailed-Beast Changer to release Naruto and Special Summon his inner beast!" Bella attempted.

"It's useless. White Veil prevents my opponent's Magic and Trap cards from activating." All of Bella's back row was destroyed.

"In that case, using Naruto's effect, I discard one card from my hand to the Graveyard and prevent his destruction!"

Naruto endured the kick. "Man that hurts," he stated.

"Then, I Special Summon a Shadow Clone Token!" At Bella's words, Naruto did some hand movements and summoned a copy of himself.

 **Shadow Clone Token: Level 2/WIND/Warrior/700 ATK/400 DEF**

"At this time, since there are two monsters on my opponent's field, Cyber Blader's effect activates! Her ATK points are now doubled! **Pas de Trois!** " Asuka's monster glowed a red aura as her power doubled.

 **Cyber Blader: 2100 x 2 = 4200 ATK**

"I set one card face-down and end my turn," Asuka ended. She then leapt down to the bridge under her and started to look for an Action Card.

"My turn! Draw!" Bella drew her next card.

' _This is bad. I have to do something to get rid of Cyber Blader,_ ' she thought. The 'Shinobi' duelist looked at her hand and an idea was formed in her head.

"I summon Konohagakure Shinobi Team 10, Ino!" Her blonde ninja appeared on the field.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 10, Ino: Level 4/WATER/Warrior/1000 ATK/800 DEF**

"Because you now control three monsters, Cyber Blader's ATK returns to normal." At Asuka's words, the boost her monster got left her.

 **Cyber Blader: 4200 / 2 = 2100 ATK**

"However, I activate her effect! By discarding one card from my hand, I can take control of one of my opponent's monsters!" Ino used her special technique on Cyber Blader. However, the Fusion Monster didn't change sides. "What's wrong, Ino?"

"Her monster... Why isn't it coming over?" the female ninja questioned.

"Cyber Blader has another effect," Asuka spoke. "If my opponent controls three monsters, they can't use the effects of their Magic, Trap or Monster cards."

"What?! So then... I can't do anything?!"

"That's smart," Misawa complimented. "Due to Naruto's effect, for every card she discards to her Graveyard, a Token will be summoned on her field."

"And since 4200 ATK is too high for her to overcome, not only did she have to summon a monster, but also a monster that may force Cyber Blader to leave the field," Elie continued.

"In turn, it actually backfired on her," Seth finished.

"Come on Bella! You can do it!" Kohaku cheered.

Bella looked at the lone card in her hand and ended her turn. At that call, she ran across the bridge to find an Action Card for herself.

"My turn! Draw!" Asuka drew her next card. "I summon Cyber Gymnastics!" A masked, muscular woman appeared on the field.

 **Cyber Gymnastics: Level 4/EARTH/Warrior/800 ATK/1800 DEF**

Asuka grabbed an Action card from the floor. "Using Gymnastics' effect, by discarding one card from my hand to the Graveyard, I can destroy one Attack Position monster my opponent controls! I send the Action Magic, Evasion to the Graveyard to destroy Ino!" Her newly summoned monster went and kicked Ino hard, destroying her in one go.

"Ino!" Bella and Naruto called.

"And with Ino gone, Cyber Blader's ATK is doubled again! **Pas de Trois!** "

 **Cyber Blader: 2100 x 2 = 4200 ATK**

"And I activate the Trap Card, Meteorain! This turn, my monsters can inflict piercing damage!" Bella widened her eyes in shock at the situation she was in. "Battle! I attack Naruto with Cyber Blader! **Glissade Slash!** " Asuka's ace card went to attack Bella's monster.

The psychic duelist spotted an Action card and snatched it. Unfortunately, by the time she got it, Naruto was already attacked. "Using Naruto's effect, by discarding one card to the Graveyard, I can prevent his destruction!" She discarded her non-Action Card.

"However, you still take the damage." At Asuka's words and to make her point, Bella felt the brute force of the attack.

 **Asuka: 4000 LP**  
 **Bella: 600 LP**

"The moment I take damage, I activate the Action Magic, Damage Draw! If I take over 2000 points of damage, I draw two cards!" Bella drew more cards. "Also, with Naruto's effect, I Special Summon a Shadow Token!" Another clone was summoned, this time in Attack Mode.

"Because you have three monsters, Cyber Blader's effect changes!"

 **Cyber Blader: 4200 / 2 = 2100 ATK**

"I attack your Defense Position Shadow Token with Cyber Gymnastics!" Asuka's muscular monster charged at the weaker token. Since Bella couldn't activate any card effects, she had to have her monster destroyed and take the attack.

 **Asuka: 4000 LP**  
 **Bella: 200 LP**

"What a fierce play!" Kazato shouted. "Asuka had really shown no mercy!"

"With her Life Points close to zero, Bella would need a miracle," Kate stated. "Especially now that Cyber Blader's ATK is returned to being doubled." True to her words, Asuka's Fusion Monster had her ATK increased once more.

 **Cyber Blader: 2100 x 2 = 4200 ATK**

"I end my turn," Asuka ended.

Bella gulped as she came to a stop. "My turn. Draw!" She drew her next card. "I activate the Magic card, Pot of Greed to draw two more cards!" She drew more and took a good look at her hand. The 'Shinobi' duelist saw nothing that could help her in the situation she was in.

' _Now what?_ ' she wondered. ' _Although I have Kurenai in my hand, even if I do summon her out, her effect can only work if I have a member of her team on my field. She and Naruto aren't on the same team, so it's useless. And even with the Equip Magics in my hand, she's not strong enough to take out Cyber Blader. Just what can I...?_ '

"Bella!" she heard someone call her name. She looked and saw it was Kohaku calling for her. "Don't overthink things! That's not gonna get you anywhere! Just pick up your head and smile! Use all the resources you have!"

Bella widened her eyes at the last sentence and checked her Graveyard. In it, she saw some cards that could actually help her. With this newfound hope, she looked back at Asuka with a smile on her face.

"Are you going to allow that?" Kate asked her husband.

"Why not? We all need a helping hand at some point in time. And likewise, those helping hands can also become lessons," he simply answered.

"My. How wise, coming from you."

"From my Graveyard, I activate the Trap Card, Breakthrough Skill!" Bella declared, much to everyone's shock.

"What?!"

"A trap card from the Graveyard?!"

"Is that possible?!"

"That can't be!"

She ignored their words and continued with her move. "By banishing it from my Graveyard, I can negate the effects of one monster my opponent controls! I will negate Cyber Blader's effect!" A barrier appeared around Cyber Blader and reduced her powers to normal.

 **Cyber Blader: 4200 / 2 = 2100 ATK**

"Cyber Blader?!" Asuka gasped in shock.

"And now, I activate the Magic card, Magical Stone Excavation! By discarding two cards, I can add a Magic card back to my hand from my Graveyard! I discard the Equip Magics, The Strongest Shield and Assault Armor to bring back Tailed-Beast Changer to my hand..." She added the said card back after sending two cards from her hand to the Graveyard. "... And activate it! With this, I send Naruto to the Graveyard to Special Summon the beast within him! Come on, Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama!" Naruto changed into his most powerful form.

 **Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama: Level 9/FIRE/Beast/3000 ATK/3000 DEF**

"Time to go serious!" he shouted

"And I release the Shadow Token to summon Konohagakure Shinobi Team 8, Kurenai!" The copy was sent away and an older, female ninja appeared on the field.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 8, Kurenai: Level 5/DARK/Warrior/2000 ATK/1500 DEF**

"And now Battle! I attack Cyber Gymnastics with Kurenai!"

"Here I come!" Kurenai charged at her opponent and struck her hard, destroying her.

 **Asuka: 2800 LP**  
 **Bella: 200 LP**

The two girls spotted an Action card on their bridge and ran to them as Bella declared, "Kurama! Attack Cyber Blader! And at this time, from my Graveyard, I activate the Trap card, Skill Successor! By banishing it, a monster I control gains 800 more ATK! And the one to get this boost is Kurama! **Nine-Tails Beam!** " Her monster roared as he gained more power and shot out his signature attack at his opponent.

 **Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama: 3000 + 800 = 3800 ATK**

Asuka got to her Action Card first. "Action Magic, Bi-Attack! This card doubles the ATK of one monster on the field! I'll use this effect on Cyber Blader and end this duel! **Glissade Slash!** " Her Fusion monster broke out of the shield she was in and gained more power.

 **Cyber Blader: 2100 x 2 = 4200 ATK**

She bypassed the beam and charged at Kurama. At the same time, Bella ran to the Action card before her and saw that she wouldn't reach it in time. She looked to the side and saw an Action card on the rails of a bridge below her, one that she would get in time to possibly deflect the attack. Discarding her fears, she leapt off the bridge she was on and reached for the card. Everyone gasped at the risk she was taking.

"Bella!" her friends cried out.

She managed to get her card and immediately activated it. "Action Magic, Miracle Fire!" Flames suddenly appeared and seemingly engulfed her. At the same time, flames appeared all around Kurama's body.

Despite the flames being holograms, that didn't mean that the damage wouldn't feel real, especially from Bella. Or so they thought. "With Miracle Fire's effect, I can use the effect of one Action Magic that was used this turn! The one I'm using is Bi-Attack!" The audience looked and saw that Bella somehow got on Kurama's back.

 **Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama: 3800 x 2 = 7600 ATK**

"Let's try this again, Kurama! **Nine-Tails Beam!** "

"Got it!" Kurama replied as the flames around him swirled around his mouth. He shot out a colorful and powerful beam at Cyber Blader, ending the duel with a big bang.

 **Asuka: 0000 LP**  
 **Bella: 200 LP**

 **WINNER: BELLA!**

"And there you have it! The one to move on to the next round is Arabella Rosaline!" Kazato announced as the field reverted to normal. Everyone applauded for the girl.

Bella sighed in relief. "That was a close one," she said.

Asuka approached her. "That was quite reckless of you," she stated. "But then again, since you're going to be an Entertainment Duelist, you have to take big risks."

"Yeah. I actually thought I was a goner. But still, good duel." The two shook hands.

"And now that they have had their duel, shall we have our last pair of duelists for this round please join us on the field?" Kate requested.

Kohaku and Tiffany looked at each other.

"Let's make this duel extra entertaining," the female Ra said.

"Agreed," the female Osiris nodded.

* * *

The two former performers were on the field, while the two female Obelisks were in the audience.

"An idol vs a performer duel," Shou muttered.

"Considering their duel style, this is definitely going to be a fun duel," Judai stated.

"How so?" Jacko asked.

"You'll see," Bella replied.

"Okay. Here's a field that suits the two of you," Kate spoke. "Action Field, on! Field Magic, Grand Talent Stage!" The field changed into a stage with many props spread around them. There were also some balls floating around as well as floating platforms.

"Oh! I like this stage!" Kohaku exclaimed.

"Same here!" Tiffany nodded in agreement. "It really fits us!"

" _Okay_! Then let's do this, Tiffany! Duelists locked in battle!"

"Kicking against the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters!"

"They storm-"

"-through this field!"

"Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling!" both said in unison.

"Action! DUEL!"

 **Kohaku: 4000 LP**  
 **Tiffany: 4000 LP**

Before either of them could declare who would start the duel, both shouted, " _Hola~! Bonjour~! Hello, everybody~!_ " The whole audience, except for a selected few, were confused at what was happening.

"In a stage like this, rather than one of us declaring who would start the duel, we would like everyone to decide for us!" Kohaku told them.

All of a sudden, everyone had a pen and paper in their hands. "We all would like you to write down the name of the duelist who would start first!" Tiffany explained. "After writing down the name, we would like you to fold the paper, and let it disappear."

"Then a spotlight will shine above the duelist who will take the first turn," Kohaku continued. "So everyone! Take your time and choose which duelist you'd like to take the first turn~"

"Of course, don't take too much time. We wouldn't want to be here all day, would we?"

Everyone just went along with what they said and wrote down the name of the first turn-taker. After that, they folded their paper, which then turned into a ball of light and flew up to the spotlights above them.

"Now then! With all the votes registered, let's see who the light will shine on!" Kohaku and Tiffany shouted in unison. The spotlights turned on and moved around the field. "And the duelist who will take the first turn is..." The lights all stopped on-

"Me! Fiore Kohaku!" the 'Circus Freak' duelist finished. "Let's go~ Draw!" She drew her sixth card. "Okay! From my hand, I activate the Continuous Magic, Fast Preparation! With it, once per turn, if I control no monsters, I am able to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower 'Circus Freak' monster from my hand! _So come on,_ Circus Freak Dancer!" Kohaku's dancing monster appeared on her field in Defense Mode.

 **Circus Freak Dancer: Level 2/DARK/Spellcaster/600 ATK/1200 DEF**

"And I also summon Circus Freak Trapeze Artist!" Her trapeze artist appeared on the field, also in Defense Mode.

 **Circus Freak Trapeze Artist: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/1400 ATK/1000 DEF**

"And with this, the opening act will end here," Kohaku bowed.

"Your opening act ended. Mine has begun!" Tiffany declared. "My turn! Draw!" She drew her sixth card. " _Hi, everyone~!_ I, Tiffany Adagio, am going to duel now~! When my opponent controls a monster and I control no monsters, I can Special Summon Melodious Songstress Solo!" A pink girl with blonde hair wearing a red dress appeared on the field.

 **Melodious Songstress Solo: Level 4/LIGHT/Fairy/1600 ATK/1000 DEF**

"And when I control a 'Melodious' monster, I can Special Summon the Melodious Diva Sonata!" Her green fairy in blue dress appeared next on the field.

 **Melodious Diva Sonata: Level 3/LIGHT/Fairy/1200 ATK/1000 DEF**

"And I will release these two monsters to Advance Summon Melodious Maestra Prodigy Mozart!" The two monsters were released and one of Tiffany's strongest monsters appeared on the field.

 **Melodious Maestra Prodigy Mozart: Level 8/LIGHT/Fairy/2600 ATK/2000 DEF**

"And using her effect, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower 'Melodious' monster from my hand! Appear before me! Melodious Diva Serenade!" A violet-skinned monster in a yellow dress with a red sash around her waist appeared. The monster had pink hair and a small angel-like wing.

 **Melodious Diva Serenade: Level 4/LIGHT/Fairy/400 ATK/1900 DEF**

Kohaku realized something about her move. "Oh? Isn't this the same move you used against Elie?"

"Well, an idol likes to start off strong~" Tiffany admitted. "And when Serenade is Special Summoned, I can make an additional Normal Summon, so long as it's for a 'Melodious' monster! This time, it won't be another Advance Summon. However, who said it can't be a different summon later? I summon Melodious Songstress Sonata!" Her substitute Fusion card appeared on the field.

 **Melodious Songstress Sonata: Level 4/LIGHT/Fairy/1400 ATK/1400 DEF**

"And now! Using her effect, I fuse her with Serenade and Prodigy Mozart! Angel's songstress, serene diva, resonate as one on the maestra's cue and give birth to a new voice! FUSION SUMMON! Appear now, Melodious Floral Saint Bloom Prima!" The three ladies came together and formed the floral 'Melodious' Fusion Monster.

 **Melodious Floral Saint Bloom Prima: Level 7/LIGHT/Fairy/1900 ATK/2000 DEF**

"Bloom Prima gains 300 ATK for each Fusion Material used to summon her! Three monsters were used, so that's 900 ATK boost!"

 **Melodious Floral Saint Bloom Prima: 1900 + 900 = 2800 ATK**

" _Well well well_? Isn't Kohaku in quite a pinch?" Kazato questioned.

"It does seem that way," Kate agreed. "And she would've been in a bigger pinch if she either had her monsters in Attack Mode or none at all."

Tiffany heard that and said, "Hmm... Then we'll have to try and change that luck, right~?" She looked around and saw an Action Card on one of the lights above them. She grabbed a dangling rope and swung herself to the light and got the card. "Action Magic, _**Opera Voice**_! This grants a monster the ability to inflict piercing damage this turn! And lastly, I activate the Continuous Magic, Fortissimo! With this card, once per turn, a 'Melodious' monster I control gains 600 ATK until the start of my next turn!" Bloom Prima had a red aura around her, signaling her power-up.

 **Melodious Floral Saint Bloom Prima: 2800 + 600 = 3400 ATK**

 _ **(Opera Voice: Action Magic: Target one monster on the field. This turn, if that monster attacks a monster whose DEF is lower than the attacking monster's ATK, inflict Battle Damage to the controller of the targeted monster.)**_

"Tiffany has the advantage now!" Bella exclaimed.

"She's going to take away all of Kohaku's Life Points in one turn!" Jacko followed.

"Battle! I will attack Circus Freak Dancer! **Soundwave**!" Tiffany's monster shot out a musical note at her target.

Kohaku leapt on a floating ball and bounced herself to a flickering spotlight, where an Action card is embedded in it. She snatched it and activated it. "Action Magic, _**Improv Performance**_! This doubles the ATK and DEF of all monsters I control! Also, when Circus Freak Dancer is targeted for an attack, I can put a Circus Counter on any monster on the field! That monster will be none other than Circus Freak Trapeze Artist! _Dance to your heart's content,_ you two~!" Said two monsters started to dance as soon as Trapeze Artist gained some dancing shoes on his feet. Dancer kicked the musical note into the air. Said note popped and many others rained down beautifully. Everyone was in awe at the sight before them.

 **Circus Freak Dancer: 600 x 2 = 1200 ATK/1200 x 2 = 2400 DEF**

 **Circus Freak Trapeze Artist: 1400 x 2 = 2800 ATK/1000 x 2 = 2000 DEF**

 _ **(Improv Performance: Action Magic: All monsters you control have their ATK and DEF double until the end of this turn)**_

 **Kohaku: 3000 LP**  
 **Tiffany: 4000 LP**

Tiffany tilted her head. "That's strange. Dancer should've been destroyed even with the boost."

Kohaku giggled at the fact. "Well you see, Circus Freak Dancer cannot be destroyed by battle once per turn~"

"Nice defense!" Judai commented.

"With this, Kohaku is still in the game," Seth stated.

Tiffany simply pouted at her friend's move. "I guess I don't have a choice. For Bloom Prima's second attack, it will be on Dancer again! **Repeated Soundwave**!"

"Because Circus Freak Dancer was targeted for another attack, another Circus Counter goes to Trapeze Artist!" As Trapeze Artist now gained another counter, Tiffany's Fusion Monster shot out another note at her target, who simply danced. Dancer suddenly grabbed the note and leapt into the air. Both popped and more musical notes with lots of sparkles rained down on the audience.

 **Kohaku: 2000 LP**  
 **Tiffany: 4000 LP**

"I will end my turn," the 'Melodious' duelist ended.

"At this time, Improv Performance's effect ends and Trapeze Artist's ATK and DEF are returned to normal."

 **Circus Freak Trapeze Artist: 2800 / 2 = 1400 ATK/2000 / 2 = 1000 DEF**

"Then it's my turn!" Kohaku drew another card. "Wow! This is perfect! I activate the Magic card, Acrobalance! With this card, I can Fusion Summon a 'Circus Freak' Fusion Monster using monsters in my hand or field as Fusion Materials! I will fuse Circus Freak Trapeze Artist on my field with Circus Freak Time Space Magician from my hand! Performer of time and space, gain the athletic abilities of the athletic artist and become the new light that vanquishes the evil darnkess! FUSION SUMMON! Appear now, arcane magician with ancient power! Circus Freak Rune Magician!" Kohaku's multi-attacking Fusion Monster appeared on the field.

 **Circus Freak Rune Magician: Level 8/DARK/Spellcaster/3000 ATK/2200 DEF**

"Alright! Kohaku has her ace monster on the field!" Judai cheered.

"But even so, Bloom Prima's ATK is higher. And even if she waits for next turn, Tiffany will just keep using Fortissimo and keep Bloom Diva's power higher than Rune Magician," Shou pointed out.

"Not unless if they get an Action Card," Asuka added.

As if on cue, Kohaku ran to floating, bouncy ball and jumped on it. She bounced forward to a pole ahead of her and grabbed it. Due to the momentum and the force, the pole bended a bit before re-straightening itself, rocketing Kohaku over to a platform, with an Action card on it.

"Action Magic, _**Courage Talent**_! This gives a weak monster 1000 more ATK until the end of the Battle Phase!" Rune Magician had a blue aura around him as his power increased.

 **Circus Freak Rune Magician: 3000 + 1000 = 4000 ATK**

 _ **(Courage Talent: Action Magic: Target one monster on the field with the lowest ATK; that monster gains 1000 ATK until the end of the Battle Phase.)**_

"Now his ATK is higher!" Elie exclaimed.

"Battle! I attack Bloom Prima with Circus Freak Rune Magician! **Ancient Light Blaster**!" Rune Magician shout out a light ray from his staff at his target.

Tiffany, with Bloom Prima giving her master a jumping boost, grabbed an Action card above her. "Action Magic, _**Painless**_! This turn when a monster would be destroyed by battle, that monster isn't destroyed!" A barrier appeared around Bloom Prima and prevented her from destruction.

 _ **(Painless: Action Magic: Target one monster on the field; that monster cannot be destroyed by battle this turn.)**_

"However you'll still take the damage!" Kohaku pointed out, as her opponent felt the force of the attack.

 **Kohaku: 2000 LP**  
 **Tiffany: 3400 LP**

"Also, Rune Magician's effect! When this card is summoned, he will attack a number of times depending on the total level of monsters used to summon him, excluding Circus Freak Time Space Magician! Trapeze Magician's level was 4, so for levels 4 or lower, Run Magician can make two attacks! **Repeated Ancient Light Blaster!** " Rune Magician shot out another light ray at Bloom Prima.

"Due to Painless's effect, Bloom Prima isn't destroyed!"

"But you'll still take the damage!"

 **Kohaku: 2000 LP**  
 **Tiffany: 2800 LP**

"At this time, Courage Talent's effect ends," Kohaku continued.

 **Circus Freak Rune Magician: 4000 - 1000 = 3000 ATK**

"I set two cards face-down and end my turn! And it is here that Circus Freak Rune Magician's additional effect activates!" Everyone was shocked to here that said monster had another effect. "During each of my End Phase, if this card has a Circus Counter on it, for each of its counter, my opponent takes 200 points of damage! There are two now, so that's 400 points of damage! **Ancient Light Bullet!** " The rings glowed and left Rune Magician's staff and suddenly shot themselves at Tiffany. Instead of going through her, the rings all circled around her at eye level at a fast pace. The speed was so fast, Tiffany got dizzy trying to follow either one of them and tumbled down from the dizziness.

 **Kohaku: 2000 LP**  
 **Tiffany: 2400 LP**

"Now then... My turn is finished~" the 'Circus Freak' duelist ended at last. "Hey, Tiffany! Are you okay?"

The 'Melodious' duelist shakily got back up on her feet. "Y-Yeah... I'm fine~" so she said as she staggered around, her eyes in swirls. She shook her head and regained both her balance and her form. "My turn!" She drew her next card. "At this time, Bloom Prima's ATK reverts back to normal! However, I will use Fortissimo's effect to have her keep her boost until the start of my next turn! And I'll also activate the Continuous Magic, Branch! Battle! Bloom Prima will attack Rune Magician! **Soundwave**!" The 'Melodious' Fusion Monster fired her attack at her opponent, who took it at full force.

 **Kohaku: 1600 LP**  
 **Tiffany: 2400 LP**

"And now to settle this! I attack directly with Bloom Prima! **Repeated Soundwave**!" Tiffany's monster shot out another attack, this time at the Ra duelist before her.

"I wonder about that!" she responded. "Trap Card open, Redo! This Special Summons back a Level 4 or lower 'Circus Freak' monster from my Graveyard! So return to me, Circus Freak Dancer!" One of Kohaku's monster returned to the field in Defense Mode. Bloom Prima ceased her attack at the sight of the monster before her.

"Che... So close. I end my turn," the former idol ended.

"That's a good call on the retreat," Kate stated. "Even if Dancer has a lower DEF compared to Bloom Prima's ATK, he still won't be destroyed by battle."

"Now then, Kohaku! I'm giving you this one chance to turn things around and raise our fans' excitement! You better not give us a fail performance!" Tiffany told her friend.

"Of course not! _It's time for the Grand Finale~!_!" Kohaku snapped her fingers, causing the field to go dark and have the spotlights all on her. " _Hola~! Bonjour~! Hello everybody~!_ " Everyone went crazy at the call. "Now then, it's time to feast your eyes! Of the two talents before you all, exactly which is the best?! Is it one where you sing and make everyone's hearts beat faster and louder than it normally beats or is it one that raises the crowds' excitement to the heavens?! Don't look away from this performance! My draw!" Kohaku drew her next card. "I activate the Instant Magic, Early Performance! With it I special summon a Level 4 or lower 'Circus Freak' monster from my hand or deck! From my deck, I summon out Circus Freak Trampoline!" Kohaku's trampoline-like monster appeared on the field.

 **Circus Freak Trampoline: Level 2/DARK/Spellcaster/400 ATK/900 DEF**

"When Trampoline is Special Summoned, he will send back cards on the field equal to the number of 'Circus Freak' monsters on the field! Give them all a big hug, Trampoline~!" The happy monster did as ordered and went to attempt to give the opposing 'Melodious' monster a hug, but it was instead sent back to Tiffany's Extra Deck. "Oh? It seems that instead of a hug, Trampoline accidentally sent Bloom Prima back to the Extra Deck instantly. Looks like today isn't your huggable day either." Trampoline slouched at the fact. "But you know what you can do?" The low-level monster looked back at his master. "Give Tiffany some love taps~!" Trampoline seemed to have agreed with the fact and danced around happily. "Well what do you know? Trampoline really is a people-person." Dancer suddenly sat on the floor, hugging his knees and a cloud of depression over his head. "Huh? You want to give some love too?" The once-depressed monster looked back and nodded happily. "Well, if you insist! Then let's give Tiffany some of those love taps!" The two monsters raised their fists in agreement.

"Kohaku's monsters really know how to go along with her in doing performances," Hayato said.

"Well, having the archetype name 'Circus Freak', they might as well," Alex pointed out.

"And now! Let's do battle! I attack directly with both Circus Freak Trampoline and Circus Freak Dancer!" The latter monster went first, bouncing on the former's trampoline-belly to shoot himself over to Tiffany and flicked her head.

 **Kohaku: 1600 LP**  
 **Tiffany: 1800 LP**

"Ouch!" she cried out, holding her forehead in pain. She looked back ahead of her in time to see Trampoline coming at her and slapped her silly. Thankfully enough, the slaps weren't that hard, but they sure were fast.

 **Kohaku: 1600 LP**  
 **Tiffany: 1400 LP**

"And lastly, I activate the Trap Card, Grand Blastoff! With this effect, by releasing one 'Circus Freak' monster I control, I can inflict damage to my opponent equal to that monster's ATK!" A cannon appeared right next to Kohaku. Dancer went in it and a target sign appeared on Tiffany's shirt.

"Uh-oh," Tiffany spoke as she quickly ran to find an Action Card.

"Counting down in five... four... three... two... one... FIRE!" Kohaku pulled a trigger and Dancer was fired right at his target.

The female Osiris found her card and leapt from platform to platform and caught it. "Action Magic, Acceleration! This negates an effect damage!" Tiffany backflipped over the monster and landed on her feet, as Dancer exploded into fireworks.

"Oh man! Just a little bit more!" Judai complained.

"But even so, Kohaku wouldn't finish her this turn," Shou said.

"No. This is good," Alex corrected.

"He's right. Everything's set now," Bella supported.

"Looks like you're still not done with your turn," Tiffany noticed.

"Of course! Because it is here that the real fun will begin! From my Graveyard, I activate Acrobalance's second effect! By banishing it, I can banish monsters from my Graveyard to perform a Fusion Summon for a 'Circus Freak' Fusion Monster! The monsters I'm banishing are Circus Freak Time Space Magician and Circus Freak Dancer! Performer of time and space, move to the same pace as the dancing performer and give birth to a new light! FUSION SUMMON! Appear now, Circus Freak Dancing Magician!" Time Space Magician appeared, now wearing street performers clothing and red tap dancing shoes.

 **Circus Freak Dancing Magician: Level 6/DARK/Spellcaster/2000 ATK/2500 DEF**

The audience looked on in either shock or awe. Shocked that Kohaku still had something up her sleeves and awe that she will actually finish the duel this turn.

"Now go! Circus Freak Dancing Magician! **Rhythm Breaker!** " The newly summoned monster charged at his opponent and ended the duel with a good kick in the gut.

 **Kohaku: 1600 LP**  
 **Tiffany: 0000 LP**

 **WINNER: KOHAKU!**

Everyone cheered at the outcome.

"And there you have it! The winner of this duel is none other than Fiore Kohaku!" Kazato announced.

The female Ra walked up to the female Osiris and offered a hand.

"In the end you still won," Tiffany simply said as she accepted the hand.

"Looks that way," Kohaku agreed as she pulled her up. "But it was still a fun duel. Everyone here thought so." As if to prove her point, the whole audience continued to applaud for the two female duelists down below.

"Now that this round is over, we'll be having another lunch break. Once we get back, Kazato and I expect to see the last four duelists on the duel field together," Kate announced.


	29. Representative Decisive Tournament Final

**Coral: New chapter at last! Now this duel will begin and end in the most unexpected way possible! I did my best with this duel so enjoy it!**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 ** _*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*_**

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

 _ ***OPENING***_

 ** _(Instrumental)_** _(_ _The scene begins with a nice top view of the island_ _)_

 ** _To the beginning sky... towards the shining light  
_** _(The camera looks up to the sky, having a nice view of it and the sun as the anime logo slowly appeared)  
_ ** _There's nothing to fear... because I'm here..._** _  
(Freakstar Dragon with Naruto on his back and Time Space Magician flew pass the logo the Spellcaster-type shined the crystal ball on his staff, changing the scene)_

 ** _Falling countless times to your knees_** _  
_ ** _Not protecting your own pride  
_** _(Kohaku slipped on a banana peel and was laughed at by many students. She laughed along with them)  
_ ** _Only coming up with just doubts_** _  
_ ** _Do not close your eyes just yet  
_** _(Alex and Bella looked at the scene in slight envy at how she was, in a way, getting along with many others despite her being in Red and daughter of a famous circus' ringmaster and walked their separate ways)_

 ** _I absolutely cannot see  
_** ** _the possibility that's here and now  
_** _(Judai was imagining himself as the next King of Games. Manjoume and his friends along with Chronos glared at how impossible it would be for him while Misawa, Shou and Hayato looked at him with interest or slight admiration)  
_ ** _When these tears turn into rain  
_** ** _I just want you to notice_** _  
(Asuka and Ryou were at the entrance of the Abandon Dorm and stared at a picture of the latter's brother with determination)_

 ** _Spit out all the vexing things  
_** ** _Because there's a meaning for taking things  
_** _(Bella was remembering the time when she was younger, getting bullied and being isolated by others because of her powers. Her patience went to her limit as she accidentally summoned a monster and released it onto them)  
_ ** _Even if you desire everything, you don't need to grasp it all  
_** _(_ _Alex was remembering when he was accepted into Duel Academy and told the principal that he wished to start at the lowest rank, just to be bullied by those of a higher rank_ _)  
_ ** _Just keep a hold of one most important thing_** _  
(Kohaku placed her hands on their shoulders and snapped them out of the memory lane and smiled at them then pushed them to the rest of their friends)_

 ** _In the beginning of the sky, I welcome you  
_** ** _do not ever look back just look forward  
_** _(Judai had out Flame Wingman, who fought against Chronos' Antique Gear Golem and Asuka's Cyber Blader, as Kohaku had out Time Space Magician, who was going head-to-head against Alex's Light and Darkness Dragon and Bella's Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama)  
_ ** _If you feel the wind on your back  
_** ** _then there won't be anything to worry about_** _  
(Shou and his monsters were looking at his brother and his monsters with determination, who smirked in approval, causing the younger sibling to smile back)_

 ** _If you would look around, you'd see all these smiling faces  
_** _(In another realm, it showed all of Kohaku, Bella, Alex, Judai, Shou, Hayato, and Asuka's monsters smiling at the camera)  
_ ** _Do not carry everything by yourself  
_** _(Kohaku was looking at her late sister's deck in her hand with a solemn look, the deck's monster spirits floating right by her side)  
_ ** _Don't rush either, the answer is along the way  
_** _(The scene turned dark and the whole gang were running towards the light)  
_ ** _you'll definitely find it for sure_** _  
(They arrived at a lighthouse, looking up at the night sky)_

* * *

Lunch was over, and the four remaining duelists were on the duel field, which was already set on Action Field mode with the Field Magic, Suntime Street. Everyone was in the audience, waiting for Kazato and Kate to show up and announce the two duelists who will be dueling each other. Said four were a bit excited to know who would duel against who.

"When are your parents going to get here?!" Judai asked in an excited tone. "I don't think I can wait another minute!"

"That's what I want to know actually!" Kohaku answered, just as excited.

" _Then look no further~_!" came Kazato's voice.

Everyone looked up and saw the guy on one of the tall buildings. He leapt off, much to everyone's shock. Kazato activated his duel disk and instantly summoned out a monster. Said monster seemed like a mix of a purple, Arabian-dressed momonga squirrel acting as a carpet. He took two cards and placed them on his disk, summoning out a pair of Spellcasters, one in red clothes, the other in purple and black clothes. The latter tossed his hat into the air. It exploded and two girls appeared from the smoke, one with blue pigtails, a blue tail, horn and wearing purple clothes, and the other with a blonde hair, a yellow tail and wearing white clothes. They grabbed each other's wrists and spun. A small portal was formed between them and three lights came out. The lights formed into different colored parrots, all who flew and landed on top of a ring where Kate sat on top of. On her arm was an active duel disk and a couple of monster cards.

She leaned back and let herself fall to the ground below. At the last second, she placed another card on her disk and summoned out a purple cat with a trampoline on its back, saving her fall as she was brought back into the air. Kazato's squirrel came and the male performer caught his wife in his arms. The two smiled and placed another card on each other's duel disks. Appearing by their sides were a pair of hippos, one brown wearing a black vest and one pink wearing a red vest. Both wrapped an arm around each other's necks and did some silly dances. The male Spellcasters were doing some magic tricks and created some fireworks in the sky, and the girls sent stars and sparkles everywhere. Now only that, the parrots were singing different notes and the cat was doing some tricks of its own.

Everyone was amazed by the sight before them.

"Kohaku! You didn't say your parents would be doing a performance of any kind," Bella said.

"I didn't know myself until now," the female Ra said.

All the monsters, except the momonga, then gathered around in one spot. As the remaining monster circled above its friends, Kazato and Kate stood and leapt into the center of the gathered monsters. Kazato placed on more monster in his last monster zone and, as they both joined the monsters on the ground, it suddenly lit up and, appearing from the light, was a magician somewhat similar to Circus Freak Time Space Magician, only with his lower half crystalized and having angel wings sticking out. The newly summoned monster also wore a weird hat on his head. Kazato and Kate both held either the newly summoned monster's hand or cane, making a pose as they stood on the wings.

The crowd went wild at the show, all cheering and applauding for the two.

"Just like home~!" Kohaku cried, as happy tears trailed down her cheeks.

"Well, you're obviously happy," Alex said.

"I'm not." He looked at her confused. "I can't believe they didn't let me in on the show!"

"Wait! You're crying happy and sad tears?!"

She simply ignored him and just got on her knees and cried.

Bella kneeled down and patted her back. "Now, now, Kohaku."

Kazato and Kate called off the monsters. " _Now then ladies and gentlemen~! Boys and girls~!_ It is now time to start the Battle Royale Duel!" Kazato announced.

Everyone got confused and were clueless at what he had said, including the final four duelists.

"Battle Royale?" Bella asked.

"What Battle Royale?" Judai asked.

"Huh? Didn't we tell you? Rather than having the Semi-Final and Final Round, we will have this round be a Battle Royale," Kazato said.

"You said nothing about that!" every teen shouted.

"Oh, so that's what I forgotten," Kate said in realization.

"Mom, you knew?!" Kohaku demanded.

"Well of course. After all, your father and I are the ones who wants to keep making things entertaining~"

The 'Circus Freak' duelist was on her hands and knees again in great depression. "How could you leave me out...? I'm so sad..."

Kazato just laughed and waved off her depressed state. "Now now. Don't worry about the small details~"

His daughter grabbed him by his collars. "What part of this is small?!"

Alex and Bella ripped her off him. "Calm down, Kohaku," the former told her.

"Now, now. As true as that is, you get to do the fun part," Kate pointed out.

That instantly made Kohaku feel better. "Yeah, that's true."

"That's too fast!" her best friends shouted in unison as they air-slapped her.

"Now then! Without further ado, what say we get started with this Battle Royale?!" Kazato asked the audience, all who agreed with that question. "Now then, if the four contestants distance themselves from each other~!"

Judai, Kohaku, Alex and Bella looked at each other seriously and moved away from each other.

"Now then everyone! If you can all say it with me for this round! Duelists locked in battle!"

"Kicking against the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters!" everyone followed along. "They storm through this field! Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling! Action!"

"DUEL!" Judai, Kohaku, Alex and Bella ended.

 **Judai: 4000 LP  
Kohaku: 4000 LP**  
 **Alex: 4000 LP**  
 **Bella: 4000 LP**

"Ladies first!" Bella started. "I dr-!"

"Draw!" Kohaku interrupted as she drew her sixth card.

Bella anime-fell at the interruption. "What was that for?!"

The female Ra looked at her confused. "What?"

"I was suppose to start!"

"But isn't it more entertaining if a performer starts things off instead?"

"What's the difference?! Besides, in case if you didn't hear me, I said I'll start first!"

"You said 'ladies first'. I'm a lady too, you know."

"That doesn't mean you should interrupt me when I was about to start my turn!"

Everyone sweatdropped at the two's bickering.

"It's amazing how they can argue at a time like this," Misawa said to the rest of the group, all who agreed with him.

"If you two keep bickering like that, I won't have any other choice but to disqualify you both," Kazato said.

"What?!" Bella demanded.

Kohaku just took advantage of her distraction and resumed her turn. "Welcome, one and all~! To the unexpected Battle Royale~!" Everyone cheered, all hyped up for her move. "Now then, how about we start things off nice and strong~? Let's go~! I summon Circus Freak Juggler~!" Kohaku's juggling monster appeared on the field.

 **Circus Freak Juggler: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1600 ATK/1000 DEF**

"And since he was summoned, he gains a Circus counter~" A ball appeared in her monkey's hand as he began to juggle the ball. "And for each Circus Counter he gains, he gets a boost of 200 ATK~!"

 **Circus Freak Juggler: 1600 + 200 = 1800 ATK**

"I also set three cards face-down and end my turn~" Kohaku bowed.

"Now it's my turn. Dr-"

"Draw!" Judai drew instead of Bella, who anime-fell again.

"Why are you going?!" she demanded.

"I can't wait any longer! I want to duel as soon as possible! I summon Elemental Hero Sparkman!" Judai's electrifying hero appeared on the field.

 **Elemental Hero Sparkman: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/1600 ATK/1400 ATK**

"Next I activate the Magic Card, Fusion! With this I fuse Elemental Hero Burstlady with Elemental Hero Clayman! Fiery warrioress, defensive warrior, become one and give birth to a new power! FUSION SUMMON! Come forth, defensive hero with high accuracy! Elemental Hero Rampart Gunner!" Judai's military-like Fusion monster appeared right by Sparkman's side in Defense Mode.

 **Elemental Hero Rampart Gunner: Level 6/EARTH/Warrior/2000 ATK/2500 DEF**

"I set two cards face-down and end my turn!" he ended.

Alex was about to start his turn, when he saw the look Bella was giving him as she clasped her hands together. Her eyes seemed teary and she had a hopeful look on her face.

' _I feel like I would be kicking a lost puppy if I go,_ ' he thought.

"Go ahead," he told her.

"Yay~ My turn! Draw!" Bella drew her next card.

In the audience, one certain Osiris was fuming slightly. "He better not be making a move on Bella down there," Jacko said in a warning tone.

"He wouldn't. Trust me," Asuka assured.

Back on the duel field, Bella continued her turn. "I summon Konohagakure Shinobi Team 10, Choji in Defense Mode!" A chubby ninja with swirls on his cheeks appeared on the field in Defense Mode.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 10, Choji: Level 4/EARTH/Warrior/1300 ATK/2100 DEF**

"I set two cards face-down and end my turn!" she ended.

"My turn! Draw!" Alex drew his sixth card. "I activate the Magic Card, Foolish Burial! With this card I send Eclipse Wyvern from my deck to my Graveyard! And because he was sent to the Graveyard, I banish Dark Armed Dragon from my deck!" He pocketed one of his best and favorite cards. "Then I banish Eclipse Wyvern to summon out Somber-Black Dragon Collapsarpent!" Alex's somber black dragon appeared on the field.

 **Somber-Black Dragon Collapsarpent: Level 4/DARK/Dragon/1800 ATK/1700 DEF**

"And because Eclipse Wyvern was banished, I add Dark Armed Dragon back to my hand! Next I activate the Equip Magic, Different Dimension Revival! With this, by discarding one card from my hand, I can Special Summon a one of my Banished monsters! Return to me, Eclipse Wyvern!" His black and grey dragons with red markings appeared on the field.

 **Eclipse Wyvern: Level 4/LIGHT/Dragon/1600 ATK/1000 DEF**

"And because the card I discarded was another Eclipse Wyvern, I banish Lightray Diabolos from my deck! Then I release Somber-Black Dragon Collapsarpent and the Eclipse Wyvern on my field to Advance Summon Light and Darkness Dragon!" The two monsters left the field and the dragon that resembles a mix of an angel and a devil appeared.

 **Light and Darkness Dragon: Level 8/LIGHT/Dragon/2800 ATK/2400 DEF**

"And since they left the field and were sent to the Graveyard, for Somber, I add Shimmering-White Dragon Wyburster to my hand and for Eclipse Wyvern, I banish Arkbrave Dragon! I set one card face-down and end my turn!"

"Now that everyone took their first turn, it is here that they can start attacking!" Kazato announced.

"My turn! Draw!" Kohaku drew her next card. "During my Standby Phase, I activate Circus Freak Juggler's effect~! He gains another Circus Counter!" Another ball appeared and her monster was now juggling two balls. "And since he has another counter, he also gains more power!"

"I activate Light and Darkness Dragon's effect! When a card effect is activated, at the cost of 500 ATK and DEF, that effect is negated! **Dark Baptism!** " Alex countered.

Kohaku leapt to a ring and spun on it a bit before releasing her grip and snatching an Action card on top of a light pole. "Action Magic, Transparent! A monster I control is unaffected by opponent's card effects!" Juggler became transparent and avoided the attack with a big leap, all while juggling two balls now.

 **Circus Freak Juggler: 1800 + 200 = 2000 ATK**

 **Light and Darkness Dragon: 2800 - 500 = 2300 ATK/2400 - 500 = 1900 DEF**

"And now, I summon Circus Freak Spinner~!" Her Indian performer appeared on the field.

 **Circus Freak Spinner: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1500 ATK/1400 DEF**

"And when he's summoned he gains a Circus Counter for each 'Circus Freak' monster on the field! There are two, so that makes two Circus Counters!" Two poles with flames on both ends appeared in both his hands as he spun them around him.

"With Light and Darkness Dragon's effect, your monster's effect is negated! **Dark Batism!** " Alex countered once more, as his monster breathed out his attack at the newly summoned monster.

Kohaku grabbed a rope, hanging from the top of a building and swung herself over to another floating ring, where an Action card was floating in the middle of it. "Action Magic, Runaway Effect! I negate the effect of a monster my opponent controls and inflict 500 points of damage to my opponent!" Spinner comically ran away from the beam, as it slowly shrunk and dissipated away.

 **Light and Darkness Dragon: 2300 - 500 = 1800 ATK/1900 - 500 = 1400 DEF**

 **Judai: 4000 LP  
Kohaku: 4000 LP**  
 **Alex: 3500 LP**  
 **Bella: 4000 LP**

"Okay everyone~! Gather around if you can please~! Because for this act, I'm involving everyone~! Even Light and Darkness Dragon~!" Everyone was getting hyped for her next move. "I activate my face-down Magic card, Perform Assistance! For each 'Circus Freak' monster I control, a Circus Counter is put on a card on the field!"

"At this time, Light and Darkness Dragon's effect activates again! Negating your card effect by paying his power!" Alex countered again.

"Huh? I guess we can't have a fun performance then... Well, can't be helped. Maybe next time~" The audience was disappointed to hear that from Kohaku. "However, why don't we make this extra flashy? Trap card open! Performaway! For each Circus Counter on the field, a card on the field is sent back to the owner's hands~!" Juggler's two balls and Spinner's two poles floated from the two owners' hands and spun around Sparkman, Rampart Gunner, Choji, and Light and Darkness Dragon. The four monsters were then engulfed in bright light and flew into the air. Seeing the sparkling lights flying around the night sky was an attracting sight to the students and the teachers, even more so when they all evaporated.

It was here Elie realized something. "Hey wait, if Light and Darkness Dragon left the field..."

Seth caught on to her thought. "Dark Baptism doesn't work!"

"That's correct, young audience~!" Kohaku continued her act. "And with that said, sad to say, but the counters will be going to my 'Circus Freak' Monsters!" Each her monsters gained another ball or a pole with flames on each end. Surprisingly enough, Spinner was doing well with three flame-lit poles.

 **Circus Freak Juggler: 2000 + 200 = 2200 ATK**

"How is that sad?" Judai asked.

"Because it's no fun if there's only very few of us. My monsters and I wanted the last round to be extra fun too..." Her monsters all nodded in agreement to her statement. "Well, it's not like there's anything we can do. And do believe me guys, this will hurt us more than it will to you~" Kohaku's three opponents paled slightly at those words. "Battle! Circus Freak Juggler, Circus Freak Spinner! In that order, attack Judai and Bella directly~!"

The two duelists freaked slightly as they saw the two monsters throw their counters to them. For Judai, Juggler pitched each of his juggling balls extremely hard, enough for them to be on fire. And for Bella, well, each poles were coming at her flame-first. Both comically screamed as they tried to avoid the attacks, only for them to follow the unfortunate duelists.

Judai managed to spot an Action card on a movie theatre's sign and leapt up, managing to get the card. "Action Magic, Revival! If a monster on the field's ATK is different from its original, its AKT becomes its original ATK until the end of this turn!" The balls lost their flames, but that didn't stop the attack from going.

 **Circus Freak Juggler: 2200 - 600 = 1600 ATK**

 **Judai: 2400 LP  
Kohaku: 4000 LP**  
 **Alex: 3500 LP**  
 **Bella: 4000 LP**

Like wise, Bella spotted an Action card in a floating ring above her and leapt through it. "Action Magic, Break Ruin! This inflicts 300 points of damage to my opponent times the difference of cards we have in our hands! I have four cards in my hand and you have one card! That's 900 points of damage to you!" A beam was shot towards Kohaku, but that didn't save Bella from Spinner's attack.

 **Judai: 2400 LP  
Kohaku: 3100 LP**  
 **Alex: 3500 LP**  
 **Bella: 2500 LP**

"Oh that hurts..." Bella complained.

"You're telling me," Judai agreed.

"Now then, with this I bid this act a farewell~" Kohaku bowed. "And it is at this time that Juggler's ATK will return to normal~"

 **Circus Freak Juggler: 1600 + 600 = 2200 ATK**

Spinner, on the other hand, was spinning his poles like crazy. "Oh ho? What's this?" Kohaku cupped her ear as if to hear what Spinner was saying. "Oh is that right? Well, we can't leave him out, can we?"

"Leave who out?" Alex asked, having a bad feeling about the next few seconds.

"Circus Freak Spinner's special ability! During my End Phase, he inflicts 300 points of damage to my opponent for each Circus Counter he has~ And as we said, we can't leave Alex out, can we~? **Fire Spin**!" Spinner tossed all his flaming poles once more, this time to Alex as he tried to escape the flames.

He spotted an Action card on the street and caught it. "Action Magic-!" And saw that it wasn't one that can help him in his situation. "Wait this can't help me!" He was hit hard by all three poles.

 **Judai: 2400 LP  
Kohaku: 3100 LP**  
 **Alex: 2600 LP**  
 **Bella: 2500 LP**

"And now the act truly ends here," Kohaku ended.

"What a fierce assault!" Kazato announced. "Kohaku took away some Life Points from each of her opponents!"

"I do hope they didn't get any actual burns from this," Kate said in a slightly worried tone.

"Now you've done it, Kohaku!" Judai spoke. "If you're going to be serious, then so will I! My turn! Draw!" He drew his next card. "I summon Elemental Hero Sparkman!" His LIGHT Warrior-Type returned to the field. "And then I activate the Field Magic, Skyscraper!" The field changed into Elemental Heroes most favorite field. "Battle! I attack Circus Freak Juggler with Sparkman! And with Skyscraper's effect, if an 'Elemental Hero' monster battles a monster with a higher ATK, they gain 1000 ATK until the end of that battle! **Spark Flash**!"

 **Elemental Hero Sparkman: 1600 + 1000 = 2600 ATK**

Sparkman threw an electrifying punch at his opponent and destroyed him.

 **Judai: 2400 LP  
Kohaku: 2700 LP**  
 **Alex: 2600 LP**  
 **Bella: 2500 LP**

For some reason, the balls that Juggler had all floated up and each had a string coming out of them, all lit up.

"What's wrong with those balls?" Alex asked.

Bella narrowed her eyes and saw something off about one of them. "Is that... a wrapper? Wait, those are bombs!"

"Ding-ding-ding! That's right~!" Kohaku confirmed. "When Juggler is destroyed, I can inflict 200 points of damage to my opponent times the number of Circus Counters that were on it when it was destroyed~!"

"EHH?! Then..." Judai looked at the bombs nervously as he took a step back. When he did, the bombs scooted closer to him. It didn't take everyone long enough to know who the target was for them. "AAAAHHHHHHH!" The 'Elemental Hero' Duelist ran as fast as he could away from the three bombs, only for them all to chase him and slowly catch up. He spotted an Action card on top of a building.

"Sparkman help me!" he cried out. His hero got in front of his master and tossed him to the building. Out of some miracle, Judai got the Action Card. "Action Magic, Acceleration! This negates effect damage!" He narrowly avoided the bombs and watched as the flames went out, much to his relief. As he landed on the building, Judai looked back up and saw that they fell right at his feet. Since the flames went out, he had nothing to worry about, until flames were relit and the rest of each strings got burnt. "Huh?"

 _ ***BOOOOOOOM!***_

A huge explosion occurred, with Judai in the middle of it.

"Judai?!" Asuka called from the audience.

"What just happened?!" Tiffany asked.

Hayato looked down and saw something glowing right by Kohaku's side, the latter who was sitting on top of a light pole. "What's that?" he pointed.

"Action Magic, No Action. Sorry, Judai~ But I won't let you stop a performer's show~" Kohaku said.

"You're heartless!" Alex and Bella accused.

"I'm not heartless; I'm just a performer who wants her show to go smoothly."

The smoke passed at Judai was seen covered in soot. He coughed out some smoke, showing to have taking some toll from the effect damage.

 **Judai: 1800 LP  
Kohaku: 2700 LP**  
 **Alex: 2600 LP**  
 **Bella: 2500 LP**

He shook the soot off and ended his turn. "I end my turn!" He then ran to find an Action Card.

"My turn! Draw!" Bella drew her next card and started her turn. "I summon Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Naruto!" Her blonde, hyper ninja appeared on the field.

 **Konohagakure Shinobi Team 7, Naruto: Level 4/WIND/Warrior/1400 ATK/800 DEF**

"Okay! Now it's my time to shine!" he claimed

"And I activate the Instant Magic, Tailed-Beast Changer! Naruto will now call out the beast within him! Appear now, Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama!" Naruto changed into the beast, Fusion monster.

 **Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama: Level 9/FIRE/Beast/3000 ATK/3000 DEF**

"Battle! I attack Circus Freak Spinner with Kurama! **Nine-Tails Beam!** " Bella declared.

"Take this!" Her Fusion Monster unleashed his signature attack at his opponent and destroyed him.

"Coming right up!" Choji rolled into a ball and destroyed Kohaku's last monster.

 **Judai: 1800 LP  
Kohaku: 1200 LP**  
 **Alex: 2600 LP**  
 **Bella: 2500 LP**

"How was that?!" he boasted.

"Nice one. I end my turn!" Bella ended.

"My turn! Draw!" Alex drew his next card. "I activate the Magic Card, Pot of Greed to draw two more cards!" He drew more cards. "Next I activate the Magic card, Painful Choice! I reveal five cards from my deck and one of my opponents will choose which of the five I will add to my hand!" The cards he revealed were Familiar Knight, Gaia the Knight of Polar Nights, Death Gremlin, Lightpulsar Dragon, and Lightray Madoor. "So now Kohaku! Choose which of the five monsters I'll add to my hand!"

"Ganging up on me, huh. Interesting. Come at me then! Lightpulsar Dragon to your hand!" the performing duelist chose.

Alex added the LIGHT Dragon-type to his hand. "And now I banish Death Gremlin to Special Summon Shimmering-White Dragon Wyburster!" His lower-level LIGHT Dragon-type appeared on the field.

 **Shimmering-White Dragon Wyburster: Level 4/LIGHT/Dragon/1700 ATK/1800 DEF**

"And because I have exactly three DARK monsters in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon Dark Armed Dragon from my hand!" His ace dragon of darkness appeared on the field.

 **Dark Armed Dragon: Level 7/DARK/Dragon/2800 ATK/1000 DEF**

"And I banish two DARK and two LIGHT monsters from my graveyard to Special Summon Darkflare Dragon and Lightpulsar Dragon from my hand!" Two more dragons, one DARK and one LIGHT, appeared on the field.

 **Darkflare Dragon: Level 5/DARK/Dragon/2400 ATK/1200 DEF**

 **Lightpulsar Dragon: Level 6/LIGHT/Dragon/2500 ATK/1500 DEF**

"And since the LIGHT monsters that were banished were Eclipse Wyverns, I get to add the Banished monsters, Arkbrave Dragon and Lightray Diabolos, to my hand! And now I activate Darkflare Dragon's special ability, by sending a Dragon-type monster from my hand and deck to the Graveyard, I can target one card in either player's Graveyard and banish it! I send Light and Darkness Dragon from my hand and White Horns Dragon from my deck to banish Circus Freak Juggler from your Graveyard! **Forced Banishment!** " As Alex sent his two dragons to his Graveyard, Kohaku was forced to send one of her monsters from the Graveyard to the Banished Zone. "And I activate Dark Armed Dragon's effect! By banishing a DARK monster from my Graveyard, I can destroy one card on the field! I will destroy your remaining face-down!" Said card that he destroyed was Kohaku's Magic card, Acrobalance.

"They really are ganging up on Kohaku, aren't they?" Shou asked.

"Well, she practically declared war with she inflicted damage on all three of them," Jacko pointed out.

"Even so, I have a feeling that she won't let Alex land the finishing blow," Tiffany said.

"Come at me, Alex!" Kohaku challenged.

"Let's see you survive this! Dark Armed Dragon! Attack Kohaku Directly! **Dark Armed Destroyer**!" The black-armored DARK Dragon raised a fist covered in flames and blades and charged at the 'Circus Freak' duelist.

"From my hand, I activate Circus Freak Ventriloquism's effect! By discarding him to the Graveyard, I can draw one card! If the card I draw is a monster, I am able to Special Summon it! If it is a Magic or a Trap card, I can activate it immediately!" Kohaku faced the audience. " _Okay people!_ Let's see what I draw out shall we? Will it be a monster or a Magic or Trap card? Will I be able to survive this assault or not? Let's find out now!"

"Come on. Come on," someone chanted.

"Come on! Come on! Come on!" a handful of people chanted along.

"Come!" Kohaku drew out her next card which revealed to be. "Circus Freak Trapeze Artist! I summon you in Defense Mode!" Her aerial stunt performer appeared on the field in Defense Mode.

 **Circus Freak Trapeze Artist: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1400 ATK/1000 DEF**

"Kohaku still has a chance!" Elie exclaimed, as all of the female Ra's fans cheered for the miraculous draw.

"I hope you realize it's still useless! I will destroy it with Dark Armed Dragon! **Dark Armed Destroyer!** " Alex resumed his monster's attack, the latter who easily destroyed the recently summoned monster.

"With Trapeze Artist's effect, since he's destroyed by battle, I can Special Summon a 'Circus Freak' monster from my deck whose ATK is 1500 or lower and give it a Circus Counter! Come, Circus Freak Contact Juggler!" Her contact-juggling monkey performer appeared on the field in Defense Mode. As he was summoned, he also gained a glass ball.

 **Circus Freak Contact Juggler: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/0 ATK/2000 DEF**

"I activate the Action Magic I got earlier, Illusion Fire! This allows a monster I control to attack as many times as monsters I currently control! However, other monsters on my field can't attack! Attack again, Dark Armed Dragon! **Dark Armed Destroyer 2!** " The armored monster raised another fist at the newly summoned monster.

"I activate Contact Juggler's effect! Once per turn when targeted for an attack, I'll send the top card of my deck to the graveyard and negate the attack!" The monkey brought his ball forward and it changed into a wall that blocked the flames. "And after that, he gains a Circus Counter!" Another glass ball appeared in his hand. "Now then everyone! How about we take a good look at the card my fellow monster sent~?" All of a sudded, a familiar figure with a bow and arrow appeared before her. "Well would you look at this! Circus Freak Flame Archer was sent! And with his effect, I'll deal 1000 points of damage to any one of my opponents! _Target... Lock on_!" A target sign was shown on Alex's shirt. "Fire!" Flame Archer released his arrow at the male Ra.

Alex ran and grabbed a card from a glass door. Unfortunately, it didn't save him from the effect damage.

 **Judai: 1800 LP  
Kohaku: 1200 LP**  
 **Alex: 1600 LP**  
 **Bella: 2500 LP**

"Action Magic, Battle Burner! If a monster I control has its attack negated, that monster can make an additional attack! And if it destroys a monster by battle, I can destroy all Attack Position monsters my opponents control! Of course, Judai, that includes your monster since Bella's Choji is in Defense Mode!" the 'Light and Darkness' duelist said.

"Ehh?!" Judai gasped. He then went to search for an Action card that can protect his monster, as did Bella with her monster.

"Continuing on! Dark Armed Dragon! Attack! **Dark Armed Destroyer 3!** " His monster charged once more and successfully destroyed her monster. "And with Dark Armed's new effect, a Attack Position Monsters are destroyed!" Lots of blades popped out of his armor and charged at Sparkman and Kurama.

Both controllers of those monsters got Action cards. "Action Magic, Mirror Barrier! A monster I control can't be destroyed by card effects this turn!"

"Action Magic, Miracle Fire! I can copy the effect of an Action Magic used this turn! I copy Mirror Barrier!" Both monsters were surrounded by a glass barrier, protected them from destruction.

"I may not have destroyed your monsters, but I can still finish this! Attack Kohaku directly! **Dark Armed Destroyer 4!** " He charged at Kohaku at full speed.

"From my hand I now activate Circus Freak Stuntman's effect from my hand!" Kohaku countered once more.

"Another card from your hand?!" Alex gasped.

"And not only that, but her last card?!" Bella followed.

"When an opponent's monster declares a direct attack, I can send the top card of my deck to the Graveyard! If the card sent was a 'Circus Freak' monster, his ATK and DEF becomes the same as that monster's and he gains Circus Counters equal to that card's level! Also, the attack will be negated!"

"Another big bet!" Asuka exclaimed.

Those who chanted before chanted again. This time, even Judai and Bella joined in, the latter who stopped trying to look for cards. "Come on! Come on! Come on! Come on! Come on!"

As if to follow her fans' pace, Kohaku chanted along as well. "Come on. Come on. Come!" She drew out her card and revealed it. "It's here! A 'Circus Freak' monster! With Circus Freak Time Space Magician sent to the Graveyard by Stuntman's effect, he now gains Time Space's ATK and DEF!" A man wearing a helmet and a motorcycle race suit with tears showing his scars and burned marks on himself appeared on the field in Defense Mode.

 **Circus Freak Stuntman: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/? -} 2500 ATK/? -} 2000 DEF**

"I still have the fifth attack. Go! Dark Armed Dragon! **Dark Armed Destroyer 5!** " Alex's strongest monster on his field once again slammed his fist down and destroyed Kohaku's last defense.

"If any duelist sees this duel, they would assume this to be game over for Kohaku," Kate spoke from the audience.

"Indeed. But look at everyone here. They all know it won't play out as it seems and are excited to see the miracle out daughter will pull out," Kazato pointed out.

"My. I wonder where she got that from then~"

"I end my turn! You have no cards in your hand. Likewise your field is empty! Looks like this is the time we settle our score! But you're not going to let things end with your loss, are you?!" Alex demanded.

Despite the field and hand disadvantage, Kohaku's smile didn't falter. "Of course not!" Her answer made her best friend/rival smile. "Today's show... has just begun! _Hola~! Bonjour~! Hello everybody~!_ " Everyone in the stadium cheered at those familiar words. " _What time is it~?!_ "

" _It's time for the Grand Finale!_ " they cheered.

"That's right! Right now I have no cards on my field! And likewise my hand is zero! My fate all depends on this one draw! Will I be defeated by the dragons before me, the heroes whose true powers are yet to be revealed, or by the sneaky and sure-kill ninjas?! Keep your eyes on the duel!"

"Come on! Come on! Come on!" the audience cheered as they saw her place her hand on her deck to draw.

"My turn!" Kohaku drew her next card. She looked at it and her smile grew even further. "Now then! How about we end this duel with a big bang?!"

"Even if you end me, you still have Judai and Bella to deal with!" Alex pointed out.

"That's right, Kohaku! Don't forget about us!" said Obelisk reminded.

"Just watching the two of you makes me even more excited!" Judai said.

"Rest assured. I have yet to forget about you," the female Ra promised. "When I have no monsters on my field, and it's the only card in my hand, I activate the Magic card, Great Encore!"

"I have a feeling it's another risky card," Hayato guessed.

"I reveal the top five cards from my deck. If there are any 'Circus Freak' monsters from among them, I Special Summon those monsters and they each get a Circus Counter. Anything else goes to the Graveyard and I take 1000 points of damage for each card sent this way!"

Hearing that shocked everyone.

"So, if Kohaku drew out two Magic or Trap cards and take 1000 for each of them..." Misawa began.

"She'll lose?!" Seth finished.

"Now then everyone! As I draw my cards, I'd like you all to cheer as you had been doing recently! Surely with all of you guys helping out, my deck will respond to your words!" Kohaku encouraged.

Almost instantly, and slowly, the whole crowd started to cheer and pray for her to draw out the needed cards to ensure her victory, including her friends and family. If not for this turn, then at least enough to save her from being defeated.

"Come on. Come on! Come on! Come on! Come one!"

"The first draw!" Kohaku drew her first card. "Circus Freak Copycat!"

Some cheered at the first card while the rest continued to chant for the next card.

"The second draw!" Kohaku drew her second card. "Circus Freak Beast Tamer!"

More cheers were heard, a little more than the first time, as the rest continued their chant.

"The third draw!" Third card was drawn. "Circus Freak Assistant!"

More cheers were heard.

"The fourth draw!" Next card was... "Circus Freak Trampoline!"

Almost everyone cheered and went back to cheers and prays.

"Now for the fifth draw!" Kohaku drew and revealed it to be... "Circus Freak Destiny!"

The crowd went wild at the great big miracle that had occurred. Some had a rush from the pressure, especially since they were doing extra cheers and prays for her. Then appearing on her field was a more goofy-looking version of the original Copycat, Kohaku's lion-man, the clown, the trampoline monster, and young Time Space Magician appeared on the field. They all gained a Circus Counter upon their summon.

 **Circus Freak Copycat: Level 1/DARK/Spellcaster/0 ATK/0 DEF**

 **Circus Freak Beast Tamer: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1700 ATK/1500 DEF**

 **Circus Freak Assistant: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1000 ATK/1000 DEF**

 **Circus Freak Trampoline: Level 2/DARK/Spellcaster/400 ATK/900 DEF**

 **Circus Freak Destiny: Level 2/DARK/Spellcaster/500 ATK/500 DEF**

"She actually drew out five 'Circus Freak' monsters!" Jacko spoke in shock.

"Looks like she has as much luck as Judai has," Seth said.

"Go for it, Kohaku!" Tiffany cheered.

"Now then! How about we activate some monster effects~? For Assistant's effect, for each empty Monster Zone on the field, I draw one card! Mister Judai and Miss Bella have four empty Monster Zones and Mister Alex has one empty Monster Zone. Therefore I draw nine cards!" Kohaku drew more cards.

"Now Kohaku's winning chance went up!" Elie shouted.

"Next, Beast Tamer's effect! For each Dragon, Beast, Beast-Warrior, Winged-Beast, and Dinosaur monster on the field and in each other's Graveyard, he gains a Circus Counter! Mister Alex has four dragons on the field and in his Graveyard there are Light and Darkness Dragon, White Horns Dragon, and Somber-Black Dragon Collapsarpent! And Bella has the Beast-type, Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama In total, he gets eight Circus Counters!" On Beast Tamer's red shirt, eight more yellow stars appeared on him, making a total of nine. "Continuing on, Trampoline's effect! For each 'Circus Freak' monster on the field, I return one monster on the field back to the owner's hand! The monsters making their exit will be Elemental Hero Sparkman, Konohagakure Shinobi Team 10, Choji, Lightpulsar Dragon, Darkflare Dragon and Shimmering-White Dragon Wyburster! Try and give them all a hug, Trampoline!" The low-level monster leapt and tried to give hugs to his opponents.

Judai found an Action Card. "Action Magic, Transparent! This makes Sparkman immune to Trampoline's effect!" Sparkman became transparent as Trampoline went through him and to the next monster.

Bella snatched a card from the lamppost. "Action Magic, Encore! I can copy the effect of one Action Card in my Graveyard! I'l copy Miracle Fire and copy Transparent!"

"Now you see me... Now you don't!" her monster shouted as he also became transparent. As a result, Trampoline also went through him.

Alex grabbed an Action card from a window and grimaced as it wasn't the card he was hoping that would protect his monsters. His three dragons all got hugged and were bounced back to his hand. "I would say you should've sent Dark Armed Dragon back to my hand, but that wouldn't be fun for you, would it?"

"Of course not. I activate the Continuous Magic, Fast Preparation!"

"Huh? Why did she activate that? She already has monsters on her field," Shou asked.

"No. But she does have the materials needed to summon," Seth pointed out.

"Battle! I attack Elemental Hero Sparkman with Circus Freak Beast Tamer! **Wild Slasher!** " Kohaku declared.

"When an 'Elemental Hero' Monster I control battles, that monster gains 1000 ATK via Skyscraper's effect!" Judai shouted, as his monster's power increased.

 **Elemental Hero Sparkman: 1600 + 1000 = 2600 ATK**

"From my hand, I activate the Instant Magic, Taming the Wild! When a Beast-type 'Circus Freak' monster on my field attacks an opponent's monster, I draw one card! If the card I draw is a Monster, Beast Tamer gains his opponent's ATK!" She placed her hand on her deck. "Okay now everyone! Call out for a monster! My deck will definitely respond to you again!"

"Come on! Come on! Come on!" the whole audience called.

"Come!" She drew her next card. "It's here! Circus Freak Animal Trainer!" Everyone cheered at the card drawn. "With this, Beast Tamer gains Sparkman's 2600 ATK! **Breaking the Wild!** " Her hybrid grew in size and power.

 **Circus Freak Beast Tamer: 1700 + 2600 = 4300 ATK**

"Go, Beast Tamer!" Her lion-man's whip turned into a whip blade as he struck the LIGHT Warrior-type monster and destroyed him.

 **Judai: 100 LP  
Kohaku: 1200 LP**  
 **Alex: 1600 LP**  
 **Bella: 2500 LP**

"When I take Battle Damage, I activate my Trap card, Cross Heart! I can take control of the monster that dealt damage to me! Come, Circus Freak Beast Tamer!"

"I wonder about that, Judai!" Kohaku questioned. "It would be a disgrace for a performer if he left his family! I activate Fast Preparation's effect! During the Battle Phase, by paying half of my Life Points, I can Fusion Summon by banishing monsters on my field or in my hand as Materials! Also, Copycat can sub as a Fusion Material for a Fusion Summon!" Kohaku's Life Points lowered as she prepared a Fusion Summon.

 **Judai: 100 LP  
Kohaku: 600 LP**  
 **Alex: 1600 LP**  
 **Bella: 2500 LP**

"Performer of time and space, gain the ferocious strength of the lion and become the new light that vanquishes the evil darkness! FUSION SUMMON! Appear now, ferocious magician with feral powers! Circus Freak Beast Magician!" A lion version of Time Space Magician with tears on his clothes and a staff in his mouth appeared on the field.

 **Circus Freak Beast Magician: Level 8/DARK/Spellcaster/3000 ATK/2600 DEF**

"A beast version of Time Space Magician!" Tiffany called.

"Not only that. Since she used Beast Tamer as a Fusion Material, Judai's trap card is negated," Jacko pointed out. True to his words, Judai's card left the field and he was still left defenseless.

"Circus Freak Beast Magician gains his Fusion Material's Circus Counters! Beast Tamer had nine and Copycat had one! So that's ten counters!" Her monster was then surrounded by ten colorful lights, giving off a majestic look from a feral monster. "Resuming the battle! This time, I'll attack Kurama with Beast Magician! **Feral Flame Burst!** " Kohaku's new Fusion Monster's staff head glowed and he shot out a burst of flames from his nine lights at the fellow beastly Fusion Monster.

"However, you too will be destroyed!" the monster reminded as he prepared his own attack.

"From my hand, I activate the Trap Card, Miraculous Stunt! This card can be activated from my hand by either paying 1000 Life Points or taking away five Circus Counters from my field! I'll take away the Counter on Destiny, Trampoline, Assistant and two of Beast Magician's to activate it." All of Kohaku's monsters gave away their Counters to activate the Trap card. "Now this turn, Beast Magician can't be destroyed by battle!" Beast Magician leapt over Kurama's attack as the former's attack hit its mark. "Also! I activate Beast Magician's effect! When he destroys a monster by battle, I can inflict damage to my opponent equal to the ATK of the Beast-type Fusion Material used to summon this card, plus an additional 100 for each Circus Counter he has! Beast Tamer's ATK was 1700, and he has eight Circus Counters! For 100 times the counters, that's 2500 points of damage! **Feral Flame Bullets!** " Beast Magician's balls of lights shot out fire bullets at Bella.

The 'Shinobi' duelist ran to an Action card, as did the 'Circus Freak' duelist. The former got a card from a traffic light. "Action Magic, Acceleration! The effect damage is reduced to zero!"

Likewise, Kohaku got a card from a curtain shop. "Action Magic, Curtain Clap! This turn, once per turn, if an effect is activated that reduces an effect damage to zero, that effect is negated!" Drapes appeared and wrapped themselves around Bella.

"Hey! What the-?! Let me out!" she cried, as the bullets came closer to her. The flames hit and the drapes exploded, causing concern for the poor Obelisk.

"Bella!" Jacko called in worry.

Kohaku let out a loud whistle, bringing all eyes to her. Another drape appeared and she used it to cover a mailbox. After doing some motions with her hands, Beast Magician waved his staff over it. The female Ra removed the drapes and revealed the scared, trembling, most-likely traumatized Obelisk female under it. Almost everyone cheered at the trick. The rest were feeling pity for the girl.

 **Judai: 100 LP  
Kohaku: 600 LP**  
 **Alex: 1600 LP**  
 **Bella: 0000 LP**

"I am going to kill you one day," Bella growled.

"Oh come on~ You wouldn't do that~" Kohaku said with little to no care in the world.

"You almost killed me! I thought I was going to die!"

"Now now, girl~ Sit." The female Ra just patted her head like she was a dog.

"I'm not a dog!"

"And now, continuing on!"

"Don't ignore me!"

"Hang on, you still have something?!" Alex asked.

"That's right! During the Battle Phase, I activate Circus Freak Destiny's effect! By removing one Circus Counter on the field, I can draw a card! If the card is a monster, I take damage equal to its ATK and Special Summon it! Otherwise, I tribute this card and Special Summon one 'Circus Freak' monster from my Graveyard!" Destiny grabbed one of Beast Magician's Circus Counter and tossed it to Kohaku's deck. "Once more, everyone!"

Instantly, the whole audience were chanting and praying once more. "Come on! Come on! Come!"

"Come!" Kohaku drew and revealed the card to be... "Trap Card, Grand Blastoff! And with this Destiny can evolve to his older self! Appear, my great performing partner, Circus Freak Time Space Magician!" Destiny grew into his older self.

 **Circus Freak Time Space Magician: Level 7/DARK/Spellcaster/2500 ATK/2000 DEF**

"However, your monster doesn't have enough power to destroy Dark Armed Dragon! And of what I can see, there isn't a single Action card near us!"

"I know! _But now it's time for the Grand Finale!_ From my hand I activate the Instant Magic, Grand Act! This allows me to Fusion Summon a 'Circus Freak' Fusion monster using monsters I control and in my Graveyard as materials by banishing them! I fuse Circus Freak Time Space Magician, Circus Freak Assistant, and Circus Freak Trampoline! Performer of time and space, accept the assistance of your allies and become the new light that vanquishes the evil darkness! FUSION SUMMON! Appear now, arcane magician with ancient power! Circus Freak Rune Magician!" Kohaku's multi-attacker Fusion Monster appeared on the field. Everyone cheered at the sight of it.

 **Circus Freak Rune Magician: Level 8/DARK/Spellcaster/3000 ATK/2200 DEF**

"The monster summoned by Grand Act's effect gains 400 ATK for each of its Fusion Materials! Rune Magician used three materials, so that's a boost of 1200!"

 **Circus Freak Rune Magician: 3000 + 1200 = 4200 ATK**

"And if Circus Freak's Rune Magician's Fusion Materials, excluding Time Space Magician, are a combined level of five to eight, he can attack three times! Battle! Circus Freak Rune Magician! Attack Dark Armed Dragon, Alex and Judai directly! **Repeated Ancient Light Blaster!** " Rune Magician shot its triple light rays at his three opponents. Alex and Judai both ran to an Action card. The lights all hit and a bright, colorful explosion occurred.

Everyone cheered at the results, as the field died down.

"And it's decided! The winner of this duel is Fiore Kohaku!" Kazato cheered.

The audience all went wild at the results as they chanted her name.

"Kohaku did it! She won!" Tiffany cheered.

"Nice going, Kohaku!" Seth complimented.

Out of all of them, Asuka found something strange. "Wait... If this is the end, then why isn't the Action Field down yet?" Her friends looked at her then at the field and found it to be true. Skyscraper is down, but not

Even Kohaku found it weird. "Is there a virus?" she wondered.

"It's not a virus!" came Judai's voice. The smoke cleared and Judai was shown standing there with a face-up Action Card. "Action Magic, _**Magic Barrier**_! By sending a card on my field to the Graveyard, I can reduce any Damage to zero!"

 _ **(Magic Barrier: Action Magic: send one card on your field to the Graveyard. This turn, you take no Battle or Effect Damage)**_

The smoke on Alex's side cleared, but showed that his Life points were down to zero.

 **Judai: 100 LP  
Kohaku: 600 LP**  
 **Alex: 0000 LP**

"Great. I'm out," he said. "Now it's between the two of you."

"I hear you. So do you end, Kohaku?!" the 'Elemental Hero' duelist asked.

"I guess I should've expected this to happen, Judai. I set two cards face down and end my turn! At this time, the monster summoned by Grand Act's effect gets destroyed." Rune Magician bowed as he took his leave.

Everyone cheered, this time for Judai. "Now it's my turn! Draw!" He drew his next card. "When I have no other cards in my hand, I can Special Summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman from my hand!" His WATER Hero appeared on the field.

 **Elemental Hero Bubbleman: Level 4/WATER/Warrior/800 ATK/1200 DEF**

"And since he's the only card on my field, I can draw two cards!" Judai drew two more cards. "Next I activate Pot of Greed to draw two more cards!" He drew more cards. "Next I equip him with Bubble Blaster!" Bubbleman gained his signature weapon.

 **Elemental Hero Bubbleman: 800 + 800 = 1600 ATK**

"I set one card face-down and activate Mirage of Nightmare! I end my turn!"

"Interesting, Judai. My turn!" Kohaku drew her next card.

"At this time, with Mirage of Nightmare's effect, I draw until I have four cards!" Judai drew cards.

"You'll have to try harder than that, Judai. It's not good to bet on just defense! Battle! I attack Bubbleman with Beast Magician! **Feral Flame Burst!** " Her ace monster released its signature attack at its opponent.

"By destroying Bubble Blaster, I negate Bubbleman's destruction and take no battle damage! Also, I activate my Instant Magic, Emergency Provisions! I send Mirage of Nightmare to the Graveyard to gain 1000 Life Points!" He activated his last face-down and gained some life.

 **Judai: 1100 LP  
Kohaku: 600 LP**

"Amazing! Not only did Judai protected his monster from destruction, he also gained some Life Points!" Kazato announced. Everyone else cheered in agreement.

"I'll end my turn," Kohaku ended.

"She's not going to summon or set anything?" Shou asked.

"Why would she?" Seth asked back.

"He's right. Look at their faces. They don't want the duel to end," Tiffany pointed out.

"It's not just them," Jacko said, looking at the surrounding audience.

"Cool! This duel is awesome!"

"I don't care who of them represents us!"

"I wish this duel can last forever!"

"You hear her! You two, don't you dare lose!"

"Judai! Kohaku! Judai! Kohaku!"

Everyone was cheering for the two remaining duelists to continue the duel with all they have.

"With your skills, Judai, I'm tempted to make you an Entertainment Duelist too," the female duelist said.

"I'll have to pass on that, Kohaku," the male duelist declined. "And now. My turn! Draw!" Judai drew his next card and brought his hand to five. "I activate the Field Magic, Fusion Gate! And I'll activate the Magic card, Special Hurricane! By discarding one card all Special Summoned monsters are destroyed!" He discarded a card and a hurricane appeared to suck all the monsters on the field.

Kohaku leapt on her monster and used him as a spring to get an Action card on a tall building's window. "Action Magic, Mirror Barrier! A monster on the field can't be destroyed by card effects!" A glass box appeared and protected Circus Freak Beast Magician from the hurricane as Bubbleman was swept away.

"I thought you wouldn't let him go that easily!" Judai claimed. "Beast Magician may be indestructible from card effects, but that doesn't mean he can't be affected! Trap card open! Miracle Kids! For each 'Hero Kid' in my Graveyard, one of my opponent's monster loses 400 ATK! The card I discarded was a Hero Kid, so Beast Magician loses 400 ATK!" The spirit of said monster appeared and hit Beast Magician, weakening it.

 **Circus Freak Beast Magician: 3000 - 400 = 2600 ATK**

"And now I activate Fusion Gate's effect to banish Elemental Hero Edgeman with Elemental Hero Wildman! Great piercing hero in golden armor, hero with a wild soul, fuse together and give birth to a new power! FUSION SUMMON! Appear now, hero who knows no bounds! Elemental Hero Wild Jaggyman!" A monster who seemed like Elemental Hero Wildman with some of Edgeman's armor appeared on the field.

 **Elemental Hero Wild Jaggyman: Level 8/EARTH/Warrior/2600 ATK/2300 DEF**

"Now it's a showdown between Level 8 monsters with 2600 ATK!" Kazato announced.

"Although one of them just had their ATK reduced," his wife deadpanned.

The two duelists and their monsters stared down at each other, with the students cheering for them in the background. Judai and Kohaku then looked to the side as the former declared, "Battle! Elemental Hero Wild Jaggyman! Attack Circus Freak Beast Magician! **Infinity Edge Slicer!** " Judai's hero went to attack his opponent as said opponent charged up its own attack. The two duelists ran to the direction they were looking at, as their monsters charged closer to each other.

"Do you see what I see folks?! They're heading for an Action card!" Kazato shouted.

Both monsters landed their attacks. At the same time, Kohaku and Judai snatched their card. "Action Magic activate!"

"Great Fire Cannon!" Judai called. "When a monster my opponent controls is destroyed by battle, my opponent takes damage equal to that monster's ATK!"

"Miracle Fire! This card copies the effect of one Action card that was used this turn! I'm copying Great Fire Cannon!" Kohaku called.

Two cannons appeared, one on either side. Both fired a shot on the other side and ended the duel.

 **Judai: 000 LP  
Kohaku: 0000 LP**

 **WINNER: JUDAI AND KOHAKU/DRAW!**

Even though there wasn't a clear winner, everyone cheered at the outcome of the duel as the field returned to normal.

"They did amazing!" Elie stated.

"Now that's what I call an Action Duel," Jacko commented.

"That was too awesome!" Hayato said.

Kazato got up from his spot and approached the last two duelists. "That was a fabulous duel. This is what dueling is; a showdown between duelists giving their all, bringing pure smiles to spectators. It is because of this, I am happy to announce that Fiore Kohaku and Yuki Judai are both representatives of the coming school duel."

"But wait, I thought the duel is a one-on-one," Bella brought up.

"I'm sure Principal Samejima, Kate and I will convince the North Campus' principal to make this year a Tag Duel," he said. "With that said, let's give a big round of applause for our representatives." The audience applauded for the two duelists, all while chanting their names once more.

"Let's give it our all then, Judai," Kohaku said as she brought her hand up for a handshake.

"Yeah. Let's give it all we have!" Judai agreed. "By the way... Gotcha! That was a fun duel, Kohaku!"


	30. Interschool Tag Duel Part 1

**Coral: New chapter at last! Now this duel will begin and end in the most unexpected way possible! I did my best with this duel so enjoy it!**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 ** _*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*_**

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

 _ ***OPENING***_

 ** _(Instrumental)_** _(_ _The scene begins with a nice top view of the island_ _)_

 ** _To the beginning sky... towards the shining light  
_** _(The camera looks up to the sky, having a nice view of it and the sun as the anime logo slowly appeared)  
_ ** _There's nothing to fear... because I'm here..._** _  
(Freakstar Dragon with Naruto on his back and Time Space Magician flew pass the logo the Spellcaster-type shined the crystal ball on his staff, changing the scene)_

 ** _Falling countless times to your knees_** _  
_ ** _Not protecting your own pride  
_** _(Kohaku slipped on a banana peel and was laughed at by many students. She laughed along with them)  
_ ** _Only coming up with just doubts_** _  
_ ** _Do not close your eyes just yet  
_** _(Alex and Bella looked at the scene in slight envy at how she was, in a way, getting along with many others despite her being in Red and daughter of a famous circus' ringmaster and walked their separate ways)_

 ** _I absolutely cannot see  
_** ** _the possibility that's here and now  
_** _(Judai was imagining himself as the next King of Games. Manjoume and his friends along with Chronos glared at how impossible it would be for him while Misawa, Shou and Hayato looked at him with interest or slight admiration)  
_ ** _When these tears turn into rain  
_** ** _I just want you to notice_** _  
(Asuka and Ryou were at the entrance of the Abandon Dorm and stared at a picture of the latter's brother with determination)_

 ** _Spit out all the vexing things  
_** ** _Because there's a meaning for taking things  
_** _(Bella was remembering the time when she was younger, getting bullied and being isolated by others because of her powers. Her patience went to her limit as she accidentally summoned a monster and released it onto them)  
_ ** _Even if you desire everything, you don't need to grasp it all  
_** _(_ _Alex was remembering when he was accepted into Duel Academy and told the principal that he wished to start at the lowest rank, just to be bullied by those of a higher rank_ _)  
_ ** _Just keep a hold of one most important thing_** _  
(Kohaku placed her hands on their shoulders and snapped them out of the memory lane and smiled at them then pushed them to the rest of their friends)_

 ** _In the beginning of the sky, I welcome you  
_** ** _do not ever look back just look forward  
_** _(Judai had out Flame Wingman, who fought against Chronos' Antique Gear Golem and Asuka's Cyber Blader, as Kohaku had out Time Space Magician, who was going head-to-head against Alex's Light and Darkness Dragon and Bella's Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama)  
_ ** _If you feel the wind on your back  
_** ** _then there won't be anything to worry about_** _  
(Shou and his monsters were looking at his brother and his monsters with determination, who smirked in approval, causing the younger sibling to smile back)_

 ** _If you would look around, you'd see all these smiling faces  
_** _(In another realm, it showed all of Kohaku, Bella, Alex, Judai, Shou, Hayato, and Asuka's monsters smiling at the camera)  
_ ** _Do not carry everything by yourself  
_** _(Kohaku was looking at her late sister's deck in her hand with a solemn look, the deck's monster spirits floating right by her side)  
_ ** _Don't rush either, the answer is along the way  
_** _(The scene turned dark and the whole gang were running towards the light)  
_ ** _you'll definitely find it for sure_** _  
(They arrived at a lighthouse, looking up at the night sky)_

* * *

It's finally here. The day has arrived. Yes, today is that day. The day... of the School Duel! Everyone was at the docks, awaiting for the arrival of the Duel Academia from the North Campus. Well, everyone except two duelists.

"Come forth, Elemental Hero Featherman!" Judai shouted, as he summoned out his WIND 'Hero'. "Burstlady!" Following him is the fiery heroine. "Clayman, Sparkman, you're up!" Next were his earthy and lightning heroes.

Up above him, Kohaku was skydiving towards him. "Let's go, Circus Freak Swinger!" Her swing-summoning monster appeared, creating a swing in which the duelist caught just in time and swung over her dueling partner. "Next up, Dancer, Trapeze Artist!" Her dancing and aerial acrobatic of a monster appeared next. "Let's not forget Assistant and, our leader, Time Space Magician!" The assistant clown appeared and did a little trick, causing a small explosion that made Kohaku's main monster appear. After the small performance, the performing duelist landed right beside her monsters.

"Wow! Even today, you all look really cool!" Judai stated to the monsters. "Especially in an Action Field!" Yep, while everyone else was at the docks, Judai and Kohaku were in the dueling area, the solid vision activated. No, they weren't going to duel each other; they just wanted to see if their monsters were in top shape.

"Now all we have to do is get pumped and have fun while dueling the representatives from the North Campus~!" Kohaku said.

"Yeah!"

"Aniki!" "Kohaku-san!" Two familiar voices called for them. Both turned and saw Shou and Seth running into the room.

"Shou! Seth! What's up?" Kohaku asked.

"'What's up'?! Everyone's all together already and you're the only one not there!" Seth answered. His words only brought more confusion to the representatives.

Shou noticed their confused looks. "The reception! Reception! The reception from the representatives from the North Campus!"

"Aw, no! I forgot!" Judai gasped.

"We have to hurry!" Kohaku said, as she and Judai called off their monsters, causing the field to revert to normal as they ran to the reception area. "Come on, guys!" Shou and Seth followed the two to their destination.

* * *

Once they arrived, they noticed their principal greeting who seemed to be the principal of the opposing campus. Judai didn't stop running and just rushed over to the two.

"Mr. Principal! That's enough greeting! Hurry and introduce me and Kohaku to our opponents!" he requested.

"Judai! Don't be rude!" Kohaku scolded, hitting her partner on the head.

"I know, but I really want to know and see who I'm facing. Don't you feel the same?"

"Of course I do! But that doesn't mean we have to be impatient!"

"So you two are the rumored Judai-kun and Kohaku-kun," the North Campus principal guessed.

"Pleased to meet you!" the Osiris instantly greeted. "Old man, are you the principal of the North Campus?" The guy anime-fell for being called 'old'.

Kohaku punched Judai again for his disrespect. "Calm down, Judai! Show some respect!"

"Sorry..."

The female representative sighed and helped the North Campus principal up. "So, who are our opponents?"

"Well, that would be-"

"It's us," a voice interrupted. The two duelists looked behind the principal and saw the one person they didn't expect to see at the North Campus.

"Whoa! It's Manjoume!" Kohaku gasped in shock.

"It's true!" Judai gasped, also in shock. "So who are our opponents?"

"It's us," answered a big, bulky guy, wearing a vest that has the North Campus' logo on it.

"'Us' who?"

"Him and me," Manjoume answered.

"Who?" Judai asked once more.

Kohaku realized who their opponents are and were shocked at who one of those opponents would be. "You mean one of our opponents is... you, Manjoume?!"

Her dueling partner gasped in great shock.

"It's Manjoume Thunder!" the ex-Duel Academia student corrected.

"Thunder!" his classmates repeated.

"First years! We've heard of how you don't address Thunder-san with an honorific!" Manjoume's dueling partner said. "How about we teach you a lesson?"

"Leave them be," Manjoume told him. "We can teach them a lesson on the dueling field."

It was a stare down between the representatives. The intensity was broken when a strong wind was picked up. Everyone looked over to the cause of the wind and saw two helicopters in the sky.

"What's going on?!" Judai asked.

"Wait. Those marks!" Misawa spoke. Everyone looked at the mark he spoke of and saw a familiar kanji below the copters. "It's the Manjoume group!"

"That's right!" came a voice from one of the vessels.

"It's been a while, Jun! Have you been doing well?!" came another voice.

"Chousaku-niisan? Shouji-niisan?" Manjoume called in shock. "What are you here to do?"

"Isn't it obvious? To give your victory our blessings!" answered one of the brothers. The two copters landed on top of one of the buildings.

"Don't worry us too much, Jun!" said the other brother.

All of a sudden, the area was filled TV crew members. "Right, nice faces! We'll take a picture!" one of the members said, a cameraman by his side.

"Camera Two! Get a close-up of Manjoume-kun next, okay?" another member called.

"Where did they come from?!" Alex asked in shock.

"Can I ask what this fuss is about?" Samejima asked one of the TV crew.

"Huh? You haven't heard?" he asked back. "This year, we'll be broadcasting the Duel Academia's Interschool Match all across the country, live on TV!"

"WHAT?! A TV broadcast?!" Judai repeated in shock.

"So wait, we're on TV right now?!" Kohaku asked in shock. Quickly, her shock was replaced with great determination. "Okay! As an Entertainment Duelist, I'm definitely going to get serious!"

* * *

Later, Kohaku was in her room, sitting on her bed with her two decks before her. "So I say but... JUST WHAT DECK SHOULD I USE?!"

Time Space Magician appeared by her side. "You seem conflicted. What's wrong?"

"It's just... the last time I was on TV was when I was with my sister. You weren't there that time, but we always promised to give our all a 1000% if we were to be seen on TV. Now that the time came, without her here..."

"You don't know if you should use us, who is mainly about entertainment, or your sister's deck, who practically has part of her soul in them... Ask yourself this, Kohaku; if your sister was here, if she sees you are about to be on TV when she couldn't be, what would she tell you?"

She played that question in her head, thinking about the answer. Then again, knowing her own sister, what was there to think when she knew what she would say? With that, a smile formed on her face and she grabbed both her decks.

* * *

It was finally time for the School Duel to come! As everyone gave a huge cheer.

"Come on, everyone! It's finally about to start!" one of the TV crew member announced. "The Academy Face-Off Duel Match of the Century! Give us your cheers and applauses!"

As soon as he said that, the North Campus started to cheer for their representatives, mainly Manjoume.

By the duel field, Kohaku and Judai stood, waiting to be called up. With them were their friends.

"Aniki, you can take it easy today!" Shou said. "Since you and Kohaku beat Manjoume before, you both should be all set!"

"True, but who's to say he isn't going to use a different deck?" Bella asked. "I heard that the North Campus has a deck only the top student of their school can use."

"Judging by the cheers from the north, Manjoume must be the number one student then," Tiffany guessed.

"By the way, where is Seth? He should be here," Alex said.

"I'm sure he has his reasons to not be here right now. Besides, my mom is going to record the duel herself on camera. If he missed anything, my mom can show him," Kohaku said.

"In any case, we're rooting for you both," Jacko told their representatives.

* * *

With the young Ra, he was on his way to the duel field from the boys' room.

"I'm going to be late!" he muttered. Up ahead, he saw a pair of Obelisk Blues, with looks that clearly stated they were planning on something.

"So we're really going to do it, right?" one of them asked.

"Of course! She made a fool out of us once too many times! Now it's time for a huge payback! And live at that!" the other said. "I can see it now; 'The Entertainment Duelist fails at entertaining the audience'." The two blues laughed at the title.

Putting the pieces together, Seth came to a stop. "Hey!" The two Obelisk Blues turned to him. "I don't know why you're going to do it, but you're not going to mess up Kohaku-san's duel!"

"Oh look. It's the brat of her group," Obelisk 2 groaned.

Obelisk 1 had an evil look on his face. "Hey. I have a better idea. We use the kid instead."

Obelisk 2 caught on to his plan. "Good idea. Let's do it."

Having a horrible feeling, Seth grabbed his duel disk out of his bag and activated it. "You want me, you have to beat me first!"

"Hah! This is going to be so easy," Obelisk 1 stated, as he and Obelisk 2 activated their own duel disks.

"DUEL!"

 **Obelisk 1: 4000 LP  
Obelisk 2: 4000 LP**  
 **Seth: 4000 LP**

* * *

Back to the duel field...

"Well, now it is time!" Samejima shouted. "The Duel Academia Main Campus-"

"-North Campus-" his fellow principal, Ichinose, added in.

"We declare the start of the Interschool Tag Duel Match!" both shouted.

"Professor Kigara, introduce the duelists! And that thing!" Samejima requested. Ichinose and his students all had confused looks on their faces, wondering what the second thing was.

"Right, Samejima-san," the former King of Entertainment nodded. As he spoke, many of the North Campus were whispering among themselves.

"Hey, isn't that...?" "He is, isn't he?" "He's a teacher now?" "No way."

"Ahem. Everyone! Welcome to the Interschool Tag Duel! On my left are the representatives of the Main Campus, Yuki Judai and Fiore Kohaku!" The Main Campus let out a roar of cheers for their representatives. "And on my right are the representatives of the North Campus, Edogawa Yuri and-!"

"Hold it! I'll introduce myself!" Manjoume interrupted.

At first, Kazato was a bit shock but then regained his composure and tossed the your duelist the mic, in which Manjoume caught.

"Listen up! Do you all remember me?!" he questioned. "Those of you in this academy who were relieved I was gone! Those of you who went on about how I got what I deserved! If you don't know then allow me to tell you. Use those ears of yours well and listen carefully! Like the phoenix, I've been resurrected from the depths of hell! And my name is... One! Ten!"

"One Hundred! One Thousand!" Yuri and the rest of the North duelists followed along.

"Manjoume Thunder!" Manjoume finished.

At his name, every one of his apparent followers chanted his name.

"That's some popularity," Shou said in awe.

"Who am I?" Manjoume asked his group once more.

"Thunder!" they replied.

"Manjoume..."

"-Thunder!"

The duelist tossed the mic back to Kazato and stared at his two opponents straight in the eyes. "Let's go, Judai! After all, I can't lose this duel!"

"Bring it, Manjoume!" Judai challenged.

"Don't forget about me!" Yuri shouted.

"Then don't forget about me as well!" Kohaku added.

Kazato couldn't help but smile at the four's determination. "Now then, with the introduction out of the way, how about we get this duel started? Rather, how about we get this field ready?!" All of the Main Campus duelists let out a roar of cheers. "I can't hear you!" The roar was louder than the last. "Do you really want to introduce that sort of field to public?!" Out came another roar from the audience. "In that case, let's get started! Action Field on!" A hologram of a card appeared above his head, much to the shock of North Campus, the cameramen and those watching. "Let's see what kind of field will be used today!" The card spun at high speed. After a few seconds, it came to a stop. "The field selected is the field magic, Village of the Magic Tribe!" The field changed into one that is exactly like the field spell chosen.

"What the hell is this?!" Yuri demanded, surprised by the change in field.

"Why you... To think you would go as low as to pick out a field that benefits you!" Manjoume accused, aware of what Village of the Magic Tribe's effect was. Normally, that is.

"If this field's effect follows the original effect," Judai said, to their confusion.

"In an Action Duel, the duel being held right now, any and all Field Magic that are activated at the start of the duel loses their original effects and only has one effect! That effect is that players can only have one Action Card in their hand at a time," Kohaku explained.

"Action Card?" Ichinose asked.

"If everyone can look up for a moment, especially those who are witnessing an Action Duel for the first time." Everyone looked up, as did the cameras. Increasing their shock, they say a huge orb floating above the four duelists. Within the orb were a huge number of cards flying around.

"The cards flying around up there are Action Cards!" Judai began. "Once the duel officially begins, those cards will scatter around the field. Duelists can run around and search for these cards to increase their winning chance! But remember, a duelist can only take one Action Card at a time."

Everyone was amazed at the new form of dueling.

"Now then, with that, let's get on to the oath~!" Kohaku shouted.

"Those of you who knows the oath, say it with us!" Judai agreed. "Let's go! Duelists locked in battle!"

"Kicking against the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters!"

"They storm through the field!" everyone in the Main Branch followed along. "Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling! Action!"

"DUEL!" Judai and Kohaku ended.

At the word 'duel', Manjoume and Yuri were snapped out of their confusion. "DUEL!"

 **Manjoume and Yuri: 8000 LP  
** **Judai and Kohaku: 8000 LP**

* * *

Speaking of duels, returning to Seth's duel against the two Obelisks...

"I'll start first! Draw!" Obelisk 1 drew his sixth card. "I discard one card from my hand to Special Summon Berlines the Vassal of the Firestorm Monarch!" An armored knight with flames covering his arms appeared on the field.

 **Berlings the Vassal of the Firestorm Monarch: Level 3/FIRE/Pyro/800 ATK/1000 DEF**

"And if I control a FIRE Monster, I can Special Summon Devil of Menacing Incandescence!" Appearing next to it was a flaming monster.

 **Devil of Menacing Incandescence: Level 8/FIRE/Beast-Warrior/2600 ATK/2200 DEF**

"And when he's special summoned, I destroy two FIRE monsters I control, including himself!" Obelisk 1's field was clear of monsters.

"And what was the point of that?" Seth asked.

"By banishing three FIRE monsters from my Graveyard, I am able to Special Summon The Blazing Mars from my hand!" All of a sudden, a big, rocky/scaly head with what seemed like a black armored person perched on top of it appeared on the field.

 **The Blazing Mars: Level 8/FIRE/Pyro/2600 ATK/2200 DEF**

"Next I activate the Magic Card, Dimension Distortion!" he continued. "I can only activate this card if I don't have any cards in my Graveyard! With this card I can Special Summon a banished monster onto my field! Come, Manticore of Darkness!" A fire tornado bursted from the ground and a manticore appeared from the flames.

 **Manticore of Darkness: Level 6/FIRE/Beast-Warrior/2300 ATK/1000 DEF**

"And with Blazing Mars' effect, by sending Manticore of Darkness to the Graveyard, you are taking 500 points of damage, punk!" The recently summoned monster turned into red energy that went into its ally's mouth. The higher level monster breathed out flames at Seth, dealing some damage to him.

 **Obelisk 1: 4000 LP  
Obelisk 2: 4000 LP**  
 **Seth: 3500 LP**

"How's that, kid?" Obelisk 1 asked in a mocking tone.

"A kid like you has no place here," Obelisk 2 also mocked.

"If my Life Points decreased because of a card effect, I special summon Darkus Moskeeto!" Seth said, summoning out a black mosquito-like monster.

 **Darkus Moskeeto: Level 2/DARK/Insect/500 ATK/1200 DEF**

"What?! He summoned a monster during my turn?!" Obelisk 1 gasped.

"Who cares? It's still a weakling! What can he do with something that weak?!" Obelisk 2 pointed out.

Hearing those words calmed his partner down a little. "You're right. I end my turn! And at this time, Manticore of Darkness' effect activates! During the End Phase, if he was sent to the Graveyard this turn, by sending a Beast, Beast Warrior, or a Winged Beast monster from my hand to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon him back to the field!" He discarded his last card and summoned his monster back to the field.

"Now it's my move! Draw!" Obelisk 2 drew his sixth card. "I activate the Continuous Magic, Torture Room of Nightmare! If an effect damage was inflicted onto my opponent besides this card, they take an additional 300 points of damage! With it I activate the Magic card, Fire Ball! This card inflicts 500 points of damage to my opponent! With Torture Room of Nightmare's effect, make that 800!" Fireballs appeared and struck the young Ra.

 **Obelisk 1: 4000 LP  
Obelisk 2: 4000 LP**  
 **Seth: 2700 LP**

"I'm not done yet! I activate the Magic card, Large Fire of Day and Night! This card inflicts 800 points of damage to my opponent! With the additional 300, it's now 1100!" A huge fireball appeared and engulfed Seth.

 **Obelisk 1: 4000 LP  
Obelisk 2: 4000 LP**  
 **Seth: 1600 LP**

"Continuing on, I summon Raging Cattle Demon!" A red angry cattle with three eyes and white lines all over its body appeared on Obelisk 2's field.

 **Raging Cattle Demon: Level 4/EARTH/Beast-Warrior/1200 ATK/1200 DEF**

"And I activate its effect! Once per turn, I toss a coin and call! If I call it right, my opponent takes 1000- no, 1300 points of damage! I call it wrong, I take 1000 damage." He took out a coin and revealed both sides. "I call heads!" He flipped it and slammed it down on his hand. The guy revealed the coin to have landed on tails.

"Guess you shouldn't have summoned out that monster then," Seth said.

"You're right, I shouldn't have. If I didn't have this card that is! I activate the Instant Magic, Spell of a Pained Soul! If I were to take damage, my opponent takes the damage instead!" Just as Obelisk 2's monster was about to go on a rampage on him, it swapped over to Seth's side and hit him hard.

 **Obelisk 1: 4000 LP  
Obelisk 2: 4000 LP**  
 **Seth: 300 LP**

"And with this, I end my turn by equipped the Equip Magic, Black Pendant, onto my monster, giving him 500 more ATK." A pendant appeared around Raging Cattle Demon's neck.

 **Raging Cattle Demon: 1200 + 500 = 1700 ATK**

"I have to say, if I knew you had that kind of hand, I would've let you be first," Obelisk 1 stated.

"Can't be helped. Besides, it's not like he can beat us this turn," Obelisk 2 said.

"I wonder about that," Seth said, much to their confusion. "My turn! Draw!" He drew his next card. "I activate the Field Magic, Darkus Reactor!" A black fog covered the field and the ground below glowed purple. "While this Field Spell card is active, all DARK monsters gain 500 ATK and DEF!"

 **Darkus Moskeeto: 500 + 500 = 1200 ATK/1200 + 500 = 1700 DEF**

"Next I release Moskeeto to Advance Summon Darkus Laserman!" The Insect-type monster glowed a purple aura and changed into a machine.

 **Darkus Laserman: Level 6/DARK/Machine/2700 + 500 = 3200 ATK ATK/2000 + 500 = 2500 DEF**

"A monster with over 3000 ATK?!" Obelisk 1 gasped in shock.

"Like it matters. He's not going to make it next turn," Obelisk 2 said in an overconfident tone.

"I wasn't done yet. If Moskeeto was used to Advance Summon a 'Darkus' monster, I can equip him to that monster! And the monster equipped to him gains 500 ATK!" True to his words, Seth's bug came back and attached itself onto Laserman's back.

 **Darkus Laserman: 3200 + 500 = 3700 ATK**

"And what's the point if it won't take either one of us out?"

"I wasn't done yet. I activate the Magic Card, Darkflare! If there's a Fire and a DARK monster on the field, I target one of each and they both gain 1000 ATK! The monsters I target are Darkus Laserman and Manticore of Darkness!" To their confusion, Darkus Laserman and Manticore of Darkness gained more power.

 **Darkus Laserman: 3700 + 1000 = 4700 ATK**

 **Manticore of Darkness: 2300 + 1000 = 3300 ATK**

"Not done yet! I activate the Instant Magic, Ghost Strike! By banishing a Magic or Trap Card in my Graveyard, I am able to activate its effect! I banish Darkflare and activate its effect again! This time the FIRE monster I'm targeting is The Blazing Mars!" This time as Seth's monster grew in power, so did the other FIRE monster.

 **Darkus Laserman: 4700 + 1000 = 5700 ATK**

 **The Blazing Mars: 2600 + 1000 = 3600 ATK**

At the sight of Laserman's ATK, Obelisk 2 had a feeling who Seth would attack first and faked his panic. "Oh no! That thing has enough power to take me out!" he cried in a convincing tone.

"This is bad, isn't it?!" Obelisk 1 also panicked. He knew there was actually nothing to worry about, especially with Black Pendant's second effect.

"Battle! I attack the Blazing Mars with Laserman! **Leap Sting!** " To their shock and confusion, instead of taking the bait, Seth's monster fired its many lasers and missiles at its target, taking it down and out.

 **Obelisk 1: 1900 LP  
Obelisk 2: 4000 LP**  
 **Seth: 300 LP**

"Hah! You must still be a fool to take out one of my monsters!" Obelisk 1 mocked.

"He's right. If you had taken me out, that's one less problem to worry about," Obelisk 2 stated.

"Do you take me for a fool?" Seth asked, to their slight shock. "I am aware of what Black Pendant can do. If it is sent from the field to the Graveyard, the opponent takes 500 points of damage. So even if I do take you out first, the duel wouldn't end since this is a Battle Royale and I would've taken damage and lose."

The two blues gritted their teeth at the Ra's words. "But it's not like you can do anything, can you?! Now hurry up and end-!"

"I wasn't done yet." They looked at Seth in confusion. "Why do you think I summoned out Laserman and gave him enough power to destroy and end one of you? Darkus Laserman can attack all monsters on the field, once each!" The Obelisks looked at him in great shock.

"All monsters?!" the first repeated.

"But then that means..." the second spoke.

"Go, Laserman! Attack Manticore of Darkness! **Leap Sting!** " At the young duelist's command, his monster shot another dose of lasers and missiles at its next target. The monster it attacked was destroyed and Obelisk 1 was sent flying away and was knocked out.

 **Obelisk 1: 0000 LP  
Obelisk 2: 4000 LP**  
 **Seth: 300 LP**

"And now, you're next," Seth said to his remaining opponent. Obelisk 2 flinched at the look in his eyes. "Finish this, Laserman! **Leap Sting!** " As his monster shot more of its attack at the remaining monster, Obelisk 2 widened his eyes as he realized who the boy really is.

"The rumors are true... The Blue Reaper exists!" As he said his last words, his monster was destroyed and was was knocked into a wall, unconscious.

 **Obelisk 2: 0000 LP**  
 **Seth: 300 LP**

 **WINNER: SETH!**

As soon as the duel was over and the holograms faded away, Seth placed his duel disk away and ran pass his knocked out opponents. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a duelist to support!"

* * *

Returning to the Interschool Duel Match, Manjoume made the first move.

"I go first! Draw!" He drew his sixth card. "I summon Armed Dragon Lv 3!" An orange dragon in light brown scales appeared on the field.

 **Armed Dragon Lv 3: Level 3/WIND/Dragon/1200 ATK/900 DEF**

"What does he mean by 'Lv'?!" Shou asked.

"It's a monster that continues to Level up, so long as the requirements are met," Asuka explained.

"However, a very rare card only mentioned in legends... just where could he have?" Misawa began to question.

"Can it be that the deck Manjoume's using...?" Alex spoke.

"No doubt about it. That's North Campus' ultimate deck," Bella confirmed.

"Judai-kun! Kohaku-kun! Don't lose! You both can't lose!" the group heard, much to their confusion.

"Does the principal have something against Armed Dragon?" Ellie asked.

"Who knows," everyone else replied.

"Of course we won't!" Kohaku assured.

"I gotta see what happens to such an interesting card," Judai said.

"Wanna play a tough guy, I see. Let's see how tough you'll be after the duel. I end my turn!" Manjoume ended.

"Kohaku, you want to go next?"

"After you," she insisted Judai.

"In that case, my turn! Draw!" The 'Elemental Hero' duelist drew his sixth card. "I summon Elemental Hero Burstlady in Attack Mode! Come forth, Burstlady!" His FIRE heroine appeared on the field.

 **Elemental Hero Burstlady: Level 3/FIRE/Warrior/1200 ATK/800 DEF**

"I set one card face-down and end my turn!"

"My move now! Draw!" Yuri drew his sixth card. "I summon Dark Frame!" A black, uneven cube appeared on the field.

 **Dark Frame: Level 4/DARK/Fiend/1500 ATK/0 DEF**

"I set two cards face-down and end my turn!"

Before she started her turn, Kohaku had what seemed like a disappointed look on her face. "Hmm... Kind of bland, don't you think?"

Hearing that statement confused and slightly annoyed her opponents and the North Campus.

"What do you mean?" Yuri demanded.

"I mean, this is suppose to be the first turn. I know in a Tag Duel, no one is allowed to attack until everyone took their first turn, but shouldn't you guys have made it more interesting? That includes you, Judai. I'm actually disappointed in you, for not making an interesting start."

In the audience, all of Kohaku's friends sweat dropped, catching on to what Kohaku was saying.

"She really is a performer, isn't she?" Jacko questioned.

"Still, to talk about that in the middle of an important duel," Hayato said.

"Well, she wouldn't be Kohaku if she doesn't do what we think she's going to do," Alex pointed out.

"Well then, I guess I should liven up the audience. My turn! Draw!" Kohaku drew her sixth card. " _Hola~! Bonjour~! Hello, Everybody~!_ What do you say we really start the Interschool Tag Duel?!" The Main Campus students all cheered at her question. "Was that a yes?"

"YES!" they all shouted.

"Well, since you really want it to start, I suppose it can't be helped. From my hand, I summon Circus Freak Trapeze Artist in Defense Mode!" Her monster appeared on the field.

 **Circus Freak Trapeze Artist: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1400 ATK/1000 DEF**

" _Shall we, my friend~?_ " she asked him. Trapeze Artist nodded and they both ran off to a random direction.

"Running away during a duel?" Manjoume asked.

"All that big talk and that girl's running with her tail between her legs," Yuri mocked.

Both were proven wrong when Trapeze Artist got in front of his master, knelt down and cupped his hands. The moment Kohaku stepped on his open hand, he gave her a good jumping boost to a tall tree. In the process, she grabbed an Action card that was within a glowing, green ball of light and landed on one of the huge fungus on the tree. She got up on her feet and revealed the card in her hand.

"Got an Action card~" she said.

"What the-?! The duel field isn't that big!" Manjoume recalled.

"And not only that, she's on a hologram!" Yuri exclaimed in shock.

"That's Action Duel!" Kazato explained. "In an Action Duel, you don't have to worry about how big a field really is. And everything in the field becomes real."

"Now then, with that said, how about we introduce one of the many effects of an Action Card~?" Kohaku asked the audience, who all cheered in response. "In that case, I set three cards face-down and activate the Action Magic, _**Magical Bullets**_! For each card on the field, my opponent takes 100 points of damage! Right now there are four monsters on the field and six set Magic and Trap cards! That's a total of ten cards and a 1000 points of damage inflicted onto our opponents~!" All the cards on the field started to glow. The glow left them and made way to Manjoume and Yuri.

 _ **(Magical Bullets: Action Magic: For each card on the field, excluding the Action Field, inflict 100 points of damage to your opponent.)**_

 **Manjoume and Yuri: 7000 LP  
** **Judai and Kohaku: 8000 LP**

"Yes! Kohaku took the initiative!" Shou cheered.

"This is the power of an Action Card!" the 'Circus Freak' duelist explained to her opponents and those witnessing Action Duel for the first time. "These cards are everywhere on the field! Duelists can snatch one up at any time and activate them whenever they wish! And with this, the opening act truly ends here."

Manjoume glared at Kohaku for the damage. "I'll get you for that. Now my dreadful turn begins! Draw!" He drew his next card. The moment he drew, he let out an evilish laugh. "Well now, you two. Since my Standby Phase has paid us a visit, Armed Dragon Lv 3's effect activates! By sending this card to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon Armed Dragon Lv 5 from my hand or deck!"

"What?!" Judai gasped.

"So the level up starts here," Kohaku said.

"That's exactly right," Yuri stated. "It's also here Thunder-san will begin to reveal our Academy's deck's true power!"

"I sacrifice Armed Dragon Lv 3! Come forth, Armed Dragon Lv 5!" Light engulfed Manjoume's lone monster and out came a bigger dragon quite similar to it, just red with black scales.

 **Armed Dragon Lv 5: Level 5/WIND/Dragon/2400 ATK/1700 DEF**

At the sight of his evolved monster, the North Campus students all let out a loud cheer. "YEAH!"

"Be careful, Judai, Kohaku!" Misawa shouted.

"Now that Armed Dragon's leveled up, it also has a terrifying effect now!" Ellie warned.

"Yeah. We're aware," the Osiris of the two representatives replied. "For a case like this, I activate a Trap! Hero Halo!" Judai's face-down was activated and a shield appeared before Burstlady. "The equipment's all set! Thanks to this effect, monsters with 1900 or more ATK can't attack!"

Hearing that made his opponents laugh for some reason.

"You damn fool," Yuri insulted. "A shield to stop high-level monsters with 1900 or more ATK from attacking, is it? You can't stop Thunder-san's monster with that."

"What do you mean by that?" Kohaku asked.

"Armed Dragon Lv 5's special ability allows me to send a monster in my hand to the Graveyard to destroy one monster with ATK less than that monster," Manjoume explained.

"What?!" Judai gasped.

"I send Dragonfly from my hand to the Graveyard!"

"Dragonfly's ATK is 1400," Bella said.

"Circus Freak Trapeze Artist's ATK is also 1400. Which means the only other monster he can destroy is..." Tiffany spoke.

"The 1200 ATK Elemental Hero Burstlady," Jacko finished.

"Go, Armed Dragon Lv 5! **Destroyed Pile!** And make sure they don't get any of those annoying Action Cards!" Manjoume declared. The spikes on his monsters shot out of his body and rocketed around everywhere, making it hard for Judai or Kohaku to move around to find a card to protect Burstlady. Eventually, all the spikes hit their target and destroyed her. "I'm not done! I still have a direct attack for you! Armed Dragon Lv 5! Attack Judai directly!" His monster did as ordered and struck the 'Elemental Hero' duelist hard, enough to knock him away.

 **Manjoume and Yuri: 7000 LP  
** **Judai and Kohaku: 5600 LP**

"Judai!" Kohaku called.

"What's wrong, Judai? Did that finish you?" Manjoume mocked.

"Hey! It's cowardly to attack a defenseless duelist!"

"Shut up! This is a duel!" Yuri shouted back. "Your partner shouldn't have even leave himself defenseless like that."

The duelist in question got back in his feet. "Oh man. Since this is being broadcast all over the country, I can't end up looking too uncool," he joked.

"I set one card face-down and end my turn," Manjoume ended.

"Then it's my turn! Draw!" Judai drew his next card. "I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman in Attack Mode!" His WATER hero appeared on the field.

 **Elemental Hero Bubbleman: Level 4/WATER/Warrior/800 ATK/1200 DEF**

"If Bubbleman is the only card on the field when he's summoned, I draw two cards from my deck!" Judai drew more cards. "Next, thanks to this Fusion card, I'll fuse Featherman and Sparkman with Bubbleman on my field! Hero of the wind, hero of the lightning, hero of the water! Become one and give birth to a brand new power! FUSION SUMMON! Come forth, Elemental Hero Tempester!" One of Judai's many Fusion Monsters appeared on the field.

 **Elemental Hero Tempester: Level 8/WIND/Warrior/2800 ATK/2800 DEF**

"Yes! Go for it, aniki!" Shou cheered.

"Tempester?" Manjoume questioned, never seeing the monster before.

"Yes! This is my turnaround card!" Judai declared. "Tempester! **Chaos Tempest!** " His monster unleashed his attack on the Dragon-type monster.

 **Manjoume and Yuri: 6600 LP  
** **Judai and Kohaku: 5600 LP**

"But this is far from over," Manjoume said. "I activate my Trap Card, Call of the Living Dead!"

"What?!" Judai asked.

"It can't be!" Shou gasped.

"That's right. Due to this card I can Special Summon one monster from my Graveyard. I'm calling back Armed Dragon Lv 5! Be reborn, Armed Dragon Lv 5!" The monster that was just destroyed by Tempester had returned.

At the sight of the reborn monster, all of the North Campus duelist in the audience cheered for their top duelist.

"I set one card face-down and end my turn!" Judai ended.

"Now it's my turn! Draw!" Yuri drew his next card and looked up to see Kohaku jumping from one tree to another. "Thunder-san. I can see that you have a bigger grudge against that Yuki Judai boy. In that case, allow me to get rid of his partner."

"Go ahead," he granted.

Yuri nodded, silently thanking him. "Dark Frame can be used as two tributes for a DARK monster! I release Dark Frame and Advance Summon Devilzoa!" The cube broke apart and a big, blue monster was formed.

 **Devilzoa: Level 7/DARK/Fiend/2600 ATK/1900 DEF**

"Next I activate the Trap Card, Metalization - Magic-Reflection Armor! I equip this card to a monster on the field and give it 300 ATK and DEF!" His monster was coated in armor.

 **Devilzoa: 2600 + 300 = 2900 ATK/1900 + 300 = 2200 DEF**

"And also, I release Devilzoa equipped with Metalization - Magic-Reflection Armor to summon out its most powerful form!"

"What did you say?!" Kohaku gasped.

"Come forth! Metal Devilzoa!" The armor broke and a more robotic version of Devilzoa appeared.

 **Metal Devilzoa: Level 8/DARK/Machine/3000 ATK/2300 DEF**

"A monster with 3000 ATK?!" Shou gasped.

"And from the deck at that," Jacko noticed.

"Is that summon possible?" Tiffany asked.

"There are some monsters that can be summoned straight from the deck," Ryo answered.

"Next I activate the Equip Magic, Vicious Claw! The monster equipped to it gains 300 ATK! I will equip this card to your Circus Freak Trapeze Artist!" Yuri declared, as a grappling claw of some kind appeared in Kohaku's monster's hand.

 **Circus Freak Trapeze Artist: 1400 + 300 = 1700 ATK**

"Huh? Why to Kohaku's monster?" Shou wondered.

"It's because of Vicious Claw's additional effects," came Seth's voice. Everyone turned to him, shocked that he returned without any of them noticing.

"Seth! When did you-?!" Bella started to question.

"For a while now."

"Battle! I attack Circus Freak Trapeze Artist with Metal Devilzoa! **Metal X Scissors!** " The monster crossed its arms and charged at Trapeze Artist. "And it is here I activate Vicious Claw's effect! If the monster equipped to it was to be destroyed, I return this card to my hand instead!" Kohaku's monster managed to survive against the attack. "Next through Vicious Claw's effect, I destroy one monster on the field except for the one that battled the very monster! As much as I want to destroy that Elemental Hero Tempester through this effect, Thunder-san wants to take your friend out himself! So let's destroy Trapeze Artist instead!" Much to Kohaku's shock, the claws that were equipped to her monster once before returned, this time killing off the very monster. "And then my opponent takes 600 points of damage!"

 **Manjoume and Yuri: 6600 LP  
** **Judai and Kohaku: 5000 LP**

"Lastly, a Fiend Token is summoned onto my opponent's field!" A black monster appeared on the field.

 **Fiend Token: Level 7/DARK/Fiend/2500 ATK/2500 DEF**

"I set one card face-down and end my turn!" Yuri ended.

"My turn! Draw!" Kohaku drew her next card. "I activate my face-down Magic card, Acrobalance! This card allows me to Fusion Summon a 'Circus Freak' Fusion monster using monsters in my hand or on my field! I fuse Circus Freak Copycat and Circus Freak Time Space Magician from my hand! Performer of time and space. Become one with the slick performer and become the new light that vanquishes the evil darkness! FUSION SUMMON! Appear now, arcane magician with ancient power! Circus Freak Rune Magician!" And out was Kohaku's multi-attacker Fusion Monster.

 **Circus Freak Rune Magician: Level 8/DARK/Spellcaster/3000 ATK/2500 DEF**

She jumped down to the rooftop of one of the village houses and got an Action card that was right on the center of it. "Action Magic, _**Magical Force**_! This gives a monster 500 more ATK points!"

 **Circus Freak Rune Magician: 3000 + 500 = 3500 ATK**

 _ **(Magical Force: Action Magic: Target one monster on the field. That monster gains 500 ATK until the end of this turn)**_

"All right! Kohaku's monster is strong enough to take down Metal Devilzoa and Armed Dragon Lv 5!" Tiffany said.

"With this, Kohaku and Judai can win!" Jacko stated.

"Battle! I attack-!"

"Instant Magic, activate!" Yuri interrupted Kohaku. "Rebellion! During either player's Battle Phase, I can take control of one monster on the field until the end of the Battle Phase! Give me your Rune Magician!"

"What?!" she gasped, as her monster swapped sides unwillingly. "Rune Magician!"

"Next I activate the Trap Card, _**Dark Sacrifice**_! By releasing a DARK monster, I can destroy monsters my opponent controls with original ATK less than the current ATK of that monster!"

"What did he say?!" Shou gasped.

"Rune Magician's ATK is 3500!" Alex stated.

"All other monsters on Judai and Kohaku's field don't even have 3000 ATK!" Seth pointed out. "Which means..."

"Say good-bye to all your monsters!" Rune Magician grabbed hold of the Fiend Token and made way to Tempester. Once he was within range, the 'Circus Freak' Fusion monster, exploded, taking the other monsters with him.

"Tempester!"

"Rune!"

The two duelists cried out.

 _ **(Dark Sacrifice: Normal Trap: Tribute one DARK monster. Destroy all face-up monsters your opponent controls with original ATK equal to or lower than the current ATK of the tributed monster.)**_

"Nice one, Edogawa," Manjoume complimented.

"Of course," Yuri nodded.

Both North Campus representatives laughed at the pitiful condition of the Main Campus' representatives, as the latter duo gave determined stares at their opponents.


	31. Interschool Tag Duel Part 2

**Coral: Too long since the last update, I know! But hey, what can you do?! I have a lot of stories to work on! Some I was more hyped up to continue than others! Do not judge me! BUT! At least I got this chapter done! And with it is the second half of the Tag Duel! That being said, enjoy the story!**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 ** _*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*_**

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

 _ ***OPENING***_

 ** _(Instrumental)_** _(_ _The scene begins with a nice top view of the island_ _)_

 ** _To the beginning sky... towards the shining light  
_** _(The camera looks up to the sky, having a nice view of it and the sun as the anime logo slowly appeared)  
_ ** _There's nothing to fear... because I'm here..._** _  
(Freakstar Dragon with Naruto on his back and Time Space Magician flew pass the logo the Spellcaster-type shined the crystal ball on his staff, changing the scene)_

 ** _Falling countless times to your knees_** _  
_ ** _Not protecting your own pride  
_** _(Kohaku slipped on a banana peel and was laughed at by many students. She laughed along with them)  
_ ** _Only coming up with just doubts_** _  
_ ** _Do not close your eyes just yet  
_** _(Alex and Bella looked at the scene in slight envy at how she was, in a way, getting along with many others despite her being in Red and daughter of a famous circus' ringmaster and walked their separate ways)_

 ** _I absolutely cannot see  
_** ** _the possibility that's here and now  
_** _(Judai was imagining himself as the next King of Games. Manjoume and his friends along with Chronos glared at how impossible it would be for him while Misawa, Shou and Hayato looked at him with interest or slight admiration)  
_ ** _When these tears turn into rain  
_** ** _I just want you to notice_** _  
(Asuka and Ryou were at the entrance of the Abandon Dorm and stared at a picture of the latter's brother with determination)_

 ** _Spit out all the vexing things  
_** ** _Because there's a meaning for taking things  
_** _(Bella was remembering the time when she was younger, getting bullied and being isolated by others because of her powers. Her patience went to her limit as she accidentally summoned a monster and released it onto them)  
_ ** _Even if you desire everything, you don't need to grasp it all  
_** _(_ _Alex was remembering when he was accepted into Duel Academy and told the principal that he wished to start at the lowest rank, just to be bullied by those of a higher rank_ _)  
_ ** _Just keep a hold of one most important thing_** _  
(Kohaku placed her hands on their shoulders and snapped them out of the memory lane and smiled at them then pushed them to the rest of their friends)_

 ** _In the beginning of the sky, I welcome you  
_** ** _do not ever look back just look forward  
_** _(Judai had out Flame Wingman, who fought against Chronos' Antique Gear Golem and Asuka's Cyber Blader, as Kohaku had out Time Space Magician, who was going head-to-head against Alex's Light and Darkness Dragon and Bella's Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama)  
_ ** _If you feel the wind on your back  
_** ** _then there won't be anything to worry about_** _  
(Shou and his monsters were looking at his brother and his monsters with determination, who smirked in approval, causing the younger sibling to smile back)_

 ** _If you would look around, you'd see all these smiling faces  
_** _(In another realm, it showed all of Kohaku, Bella, Alex, Judai, Shou, Hayato, and Asuka's monsters smiling at the camera)  
_ ** _Do not carry everything by yourself  
_** _(Kohaku was looking at her late sister's deck in her hand with a solemn look, the deck's monster spirits floating right by her side)  
_ ** _Don't rush either, the answer is along the way  
_** _(The scene turned dark and the whole gang were running towards the light)  
_ ** _you'll definitely find it for sure_** _  
(They arrived at a lighthouse, looking up at the night sky)_

* * *

Continuing on from last chapter, Judai and Kohaku were in the middle of a really important tag duel against Manjoume and his partner, Yuri. So far, they aren't faring well against them. Currently on the field were two set cards on Kohaku's side with one card remaining in her hand, a set card on Judai's field with two cards in his hand, Metal Devilzoa on Yuri's field with two cards in his hand, and Armed Dragon Lv 5 with Call of the Haunted on it on Manjoume's field with four cards in his hand.

 **Manjoume and Yuri: 6600 LP  
** **Judai and Kohaku: 5000 LP**

"You have no monsters on your field! And your face-down cards can't save you or your partner! If I were you, I'd give up," Yuri told Kohaku, who was still taking her turn.

"You can't just suddenly end a show! Doing that is a disgrace and an insult to the world of entertainers!" Kohaku declared. "I will end my turn by summoning Circus Freak Dancer in Defense Mode!" Her dancer of a performer appeared on the field.

 **Circus Freak Dancer: Level 2/DARK/Spellcaster/600 ATK/1200 DEF**

She then ran to search for an Action Card.

"Like we'll let you have the chance! My turn! Draw!" Manjoume drew his next card. "I will attack Yuki Judai adirectly with Armed Dragon Lv 5! **Destroyed Pile!** "

Judai was about to get an Action card, when one of Armed Dragon's spikes cut him off from one. However-

"Action Magic, _**Spiritual**_ _ **Guard!**_ " Kohaku snatched an Action card and activated it. "This card special summons a Spirit Token any player's field! Protect Judai!" Some kind of spirit appeared before Judai and took the hit head on.

 _ **(Spiritual Guard: Action Magic: Special Summon one Spirit Token on either player's field. (Spellcaster Type/LIGHT/Level 1/500 ATK/500 DEF))**_

"Thanks for the save, Kohaku!" the 'E-Hero' duelist called. The 'Circus Freak' duelist simply grinned and gave him a thumbs-up.

For some reason, they heard Manjoume and Yuri laughing.

"Kohaku, it was a mistake to summon a monster to protect Judai," the former claimed.

"What?" she asked.

"With this, Thunder-san's Armed Dragon can level up even further!" Yuri explained.

"That's right. Now behold! My Armed Dragon's further evolution! My Armed Dragon Lv 7's form!" At Manjoume's words, his monster grew bigger and got more deadlier. The North campus cheered for their representatives, especially Manjoume.

 **Armed Dragon Lv 7: Level 7/WIND/Dragon/2800 ATK/1000 DEF**

"This is... Armed Dragon's ultimate form?" Judai asked.

The monster let out a loud roar.

"Keep your head, Judai-kun! Kohaku-kun! Don't lose!" Samejima shouted.

In response, the North Campus cheered loudly for Manjoume.

"You see that?" the boy asked. "It's the legendary level up monster, Armed Dragon Lv 7!"

Instead of being scared like they expected, Judai and Kohaku were in awe.

"Whoa! It's so cool! I want one, too!"

"Looks like the main guest star have appeared!"

"You idiots! You're in danger, you know!" Yuri scolded. "Is this really the time to be admiring?!"

"But still, is there anything more exciting than this?" Judai asked. "Just as much as I'm in a pinch right now, I'm also fighting a powerful monster!"

"No matter what the obstacle, a performer should keep a calm head! Otherwise, it wouldn't be good for the show!"

"How much longer are you going to make me sick?" Manjoume questioned. "I can't live like either of you, going all day thinking about nothing and just skipping through like! Look at the pressure of this glare! The heaviness of this glare under which all the dreams and desires of the Manjoume family rest... that rests on my shoulders! To fulfill the hopes of my brothers, and to prove my worth, no matter what happens here, Yuki Judai, Fiore Kohaku! I have to defeat you!"

"Hey, hey, hey. Are you trying to ruin the show we're putting for all these people around us?" Kohaku waved off.

"You fool! How can you just wave off such a heartfelt speech?" Yuri demanded.

"Because we're not going down that easily!" Judai answered. "My turn!" He drew his next card. "I summon Friendog from my hand in Defense Mode!" On Judai's field came his mechanical dog.

 **Friendog: Level 3/EARTH/Machine/800 ATK/1200 DEF**

"Next I set one card face-down and end my turn!"

"You really don't know when to give up. You really think your smallfries are of any use against me and Thunder-san now?" Yuri questioned. "My turn! Draw! I will once again equip Vicious Claw onto your monster!" The grappling claws from before was now equipped onto Dancer.

 **Circus Freak Dancer: 600 + 300 = 900 ATK**

"And now I battle! I attack Circus Freak Dancer with Metal Devilzoa! And with Vicious Claw's effect, if Dancer is going to be destroyed, it's going back to my hand and I'm going to destroy Dancer!" Yuri declared.

"I wonder about that," Kohaku said with a smirk, much to his, Manjoume and the rest of the North Campus' confusion. Dancer simply leapt over Metal Devilzoa's attack, avoiding the possible destruction. With that, Vicious Claw didn't leave him.

"What happened?!"

"Circus Freak Dancer cannot be destroyed by battle once per turn! Therefore, Vicious Claw's effect will not activate! And since Dancer was targeted for an attack, a Circus Counter will go to one monster on the field! Let's give it to your monster!" A pair of red dancing shows just for Metal Devilzoa appeared on its feet.

Yuri gritted his teeth at his own carelessness. "I end my turn."

"Then it's my turn! Draw!" Kohaku drew her next card and smiled at the sight of it. "I summon Circus Freak Beast Tamer!" Her lion/human hybrid appeared on the field.

 **Circus Freak Beast Tamer: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1700 ATK/1500 DEF**

"When he's summoned, he gains a Circus Counter for each Beast, Winged Beast, Beast Warrior, Dragon, and Dinosaur monster on the field and in either player's graveyard! Your three Armed Dragons fit the description!" Three yellow stars appeared on his shirt. "And I activate my face-down magic card, Tightrope Walking, and equip it onto Beast Tamer!" Two poles appeared on the field. One on Judai and Kohaku's side and the other on Manjoume and Yuri's side. "With this card, the monster it was equipped to can attack the opponent directly!"

"What did you say?!" Manjoume questioned.

"Battle! I attack directly with Beast Tamer!" The newly summoned monster jumped on the tightrope and dashed to the opposing duelists.

Manjoume looked and saw an Action card not far from him. He jumped, caught and activated it. "Action Magic, Avoid! Your monster's attack is negated!" He avoided a whip attack from Kohaku's monster.

Kohaku back flipped and jumped, landing on a tree branch behind her, as well as obtaining an Action card from the branch. "Action Magic, Wonder Chance! A monster on the field is able to attack twice this turn!" The North Campus representatives flinched at the effect. "Try again, Beast Tamer!" Her monster whipped at his target again.

 **Manjoume and Yuri: 4900 LP  
** **Judai and Kohaku: 5000 LP**

"And with this I end my turn!" Kohaku ended.

"All right! A counter attack!" Shou cheered.

"Yeah. But who's to say that they will stay at the advantage for long?" Misawa said.

"You'll pay for that Fiore!" Manjoume claimed. "My turn! Draw!" He drew his next card. "I activate Armed Dragon Lv 7's effect! By sending a monster in my hand to the Graveyard, all opposing monsters with ATK less than it are destroyed!"

"What'd you say?!" Judai gasped.

"ATK less than that of the card used as the cost..." Asuka spoke in shock.

"Does that mean its effect also powered up?" Ryo questioned.

"I'll discard Armed Dragon Lv 3 from my hand to destroy all your monsters with ATK equal to or less than 1200!" Manjoume declared. "Go, Armed Dragon Lv 7! **Genocide Cutter!** " His monster's spikes and saws shot out of its chest, making their way to Judai's Friendog and Kohaku's Dancer.

Judai found an Action card and picked it up. "Action Magic, Detour! I negate the effect of a monster my opponent controls and inflict 500 points of damage to them!" The blades missed their targets and hit Manjoume and Yuri.

 **Manjoume and Yuri: 4400 LP  
** **Judai and Kohaku: 5000 LP**

"Yes! They avoided that!" Tiffany cheered.

"Even if Manjoume attacks Judai's Friendog, he won't be able to inflict any damage to him," Jacko pointed out.

"And if Friendog's sent to the Graveyard, Judai can add an 'Elemental Hero' and a 'Fusion' from his Graveyard to his hand," Bella added.

For some reason, both Manjoume and Yuri laughed.

"You two are fools if you think this effect only happens once," the latter said, much to their shock.

"He's right. I activate Armed Dragon Lv 7's effect! This time to discard Assault Wyvern to destroy monsters with 1800 or less ATK!" Judai and Kohaku were shocked at this play as they both ran in search for an Action card. "You're not escaping this time! **Genocide Cutter!** " Manjoume's monster shot out more of its blades, this time on all of its targets.

Kohaku managed to get an Action card. "Action Magic, Transparent! A monster I control is unaffected by card effects this turn!" Beast Tamer became transparent as the saw intended for him went through him.

Judai also found an Action card, however... "Huh? A trap card?" Hearing that made Kohaku and her parents flinch.

"That is..." Kazato spoke. "Action Trap, Break Shot. A monster the owner controls loses 900 ATK."

Hearing that made the main campus gasp in shock, as billiard balls came out of nowhere, knocking Judai away and hitting his monster, reducing its ATK points.

 **Friendog: 800 - 900 = 0 ATK**

It also didn't help the fact that his monster is still destroyed by Manjoume's monster effect. The duelist in question and his partner laughed at Judai's misfortune.

"What was that? Were you trying to protect yourself?" the 'Armed Dragon' duelist asked.

"Seems his luck has run out, Thunder-san," Yuri said.

"What a horrible timing for an Action Trap," Kohaku said, rubbing her head. "Hey! Are you okay, Judai?!"

"Yeah," the Osiris replied, getting back up on his feet. "At this time, I activate Friendog's effect! When Friendog is sent to the Graveyard, I add a Fusion and an 'Elemental Hero' card from my Graveyard to my hand!" Judai added back his Spell card and Elemental Hero Burstlady.

"Now with this, all your barrier monsters have been wiped out, Yuki Judai! Just watch, Big Brothers! Watch my strength! I activate the Action Magic, Bi-Attack!"

Hearing that surprised his opponents and the Main Campus.

"When did he-?!" Ellie tried to ask.

"It must be back when Judai activated the Action Trap," Seth said. "I saw. One of those balls had an Action card on it and it flew right to him!"

"With Bi-Attack's effect, Armed Dragon Lv 7's ATK is now doubled!" True to his words, Manjoume's ace monster glowed a red aura and started to grow.

 **Armed Dragon Lv 7: 2800 x 2 = 5600 ATK**

"This is the end! Armed Dragon Lv 7! Hit Yuki Judai with a direct attack! **Armed Punisher**!"

At this time, Yuri caught an Action card hanging from a tree branch. "I also activate an Action Magic, Crush Action! This turn, after this card's activation, if anyone adds an Action card to their hand, that card is instantly destroyed!"

Everyone watched as Manjoume's monster raised a fist, all worried about the outcome of the duel.

"So without any Action card support, Judai and Kohaku will lose!" Alex said.

"Continuous Trap, activate! Another Act!" Kohaku countered. "With this card, by removing a Circus Counter and banishing a 'Circus Freak' monster from my Graveyard, I can activate a Magic or a Trap card from any player's Graveyard!"

"What?!" Manjoume gasped.

"So that means-!" Yuri spoke, already guessing what card Kohaku will be using.

"Through its effect, with the cost of Yuri's Metal Devilzoa's Circus Counter and Circus Freak Trapeze Artist, I activate the Action Magic, Avoid from Manjoume's Graveyard!" the performer declared. "Armed Dragon Lv 7's attack is negated!"

Judai dodge rolled out of the way, avoiding the hit. "Whew. That was close."

Manjoume gritted his teeth. "Still using the same tactics I see. But that doesn't change the fact that we're at the advantage," he pointed out. "Of what I know, neither of you have anything that can beat Armed Dragon Lv 7! My turn has ended!"

"Then it's my turn! Draw!" Judai drew his next card. He looked and smiled at the card he drew. "I expected no less from you, partner. You came at a good time. I summon Winged Kuriboh in Defense Mode!" On the field now is Judai's Kuriboh.

 **Winged Kuriboh: Level 1/LIGHT/Fairy/300 ATK/200 DEF**

"My turn's ended!"

"You typical way of running from things, is it?" Manjoume said.

"Just what help do you expect to get from something like that?!" Yuri asked.

Winged Kuriboh seemed angry at the insult.

"Don't underestimate weak monsters!" Kohaku scolded. "Even they play a big part in a show!"

Unexpectedly, a duel monster spirit appeared on his shoulders. "Hey aniki. That one may know something about my brothers," he said to Manjoume. "So please bring me in the game so I can ask him."

"Shut it! You don't have a place in such an important duel!" Manjoume told him.

"Don't say that, aniki," the monster complained.

"Um... Is there something wrong, Thunder-san?" Yuri asked.

"Nothing. Just a fly," he simply answered, sending his monster spirit away. "Now start your turn already."

"Okay. My turn! Draw!" Yuri drew his next card. "I summon Strengthening Support Mecha - Heavy Weapon!" A mechanical platform appeared on the field.

 **Strengthening Support Mecha - Heavy Weapon: Level 3/DARK/Machine/500 ATK/500 DEF**

"And I activate his effect! Heavy Weapon can be equipped onto a Machine-type monster! While equipped, that monster gains 500 ATK and DEF!" Yuri's newly summoned monster equipped itself onto Metal Devilzoa.

 **Metal Devilzoa: 3000 + 500 = 3500 ATK/2300 + 500 = 2800 DEF**

Yuri jumped over to a house, picking up an Action card from the rooftop. "Oh! Well aren't we lucky? Action Magic, **_Magical Energy_**! With this card, a monster I control can attack a number of times equal to the number of monster my opponent controls! Yuki Judai! Fiore Kohaku! Together, you have two monsters! Therefore Metal Devilzoa can attack twice this turn! Now I attack Circus Freak Beast Tamer with Metal Devilzoa! **Metal X Scissors!** " His monster went in to attack Kohaku's Attack Position monster.

 _ **(Magical Energy: A monster you control can attack a number of times equal to the number of monsters your opponent controls)**_

"I will activate the second effect of Tightrope Walking! By sending this card to the Graveyard, the monster it was equipped to is not destroyed by battle! Also, I take half the battle damage I usually take!" The poles tumbled down and the rope covered Metal Devilzoa's eyes, causing him to miss his target. However the force of his attack struck Judai and Kohaku.

 **Manjoume and Yuri: 4400 LP  
** **Judai and Kohaku: 4100 LP**

"However, Metal Devilzoa can attack twice this turn! **Metal X Scissors!** " Yuri's monster swiped his claws once more, missing Beast Tamer, but still reducing Judai and Kohaku's Life Points.

 **Manjoume and Yuri: 4400 LP  
** **Judai and Kohaku: 3200 LP**

"I end my turn!"

"My turn! Draw!" Kohaku drew her next card. "We are not be able to take down your monsters. That part is a definite fact," Kohaku said. The Main Campus, her friends and Samejima especially, were showing worries and concerns as to how Manjoume and Yuri's monsters will go down, while the North Campus and Manjoume's brothers, and some of the TV crew members, grinned, certain of the outcome of the duel. She then grinned and said, "However, if we're able to do that, this show would be just _boring_." Hearing that now confused everyone, except Judai. "I activate the Instant Magic! Early Performance! With this card, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower 'Circus Freak' monster from my deck! Come, Circus Freak Trampoline!" Kohaku's force-return monster came onto her field.

 **Circus Freak Trampoline: Level 2/DARK/Spellcaster/400 ATK/900 DEF**

"And what good is a weak monster like that going to do to us?!" Manjoume demanded.

"I wouldn't underestimate him if I were you. Because Trampoline has quite a scary effect~ When this card is Special Summoned, I can return cards on the field equal to the number of 'Circus Freak' monsters I control back to the owner's hands! Right now there are two 'Circus Freaks' on my field! So let's send back Armed Dragon Lv 7 and Metal Devilzoa!" The two monster's duelists widened their eyes in shock as the newly summoned monster sent them both back to their hands, via his usual attempt hug.

"That's a good move!" Hayato said. "Manjoume and Yuri's monsters may be strong and indestructible, but that doesn't mean they are unaffected by card effects!"

"All right! A counter attack!" Seth cheered.

"Now's your chance!" Ellie shouted.

"Hit them hard!" Tiffany followed.

"Go Kohaku-kun!" Samejima cheered.

Kazato and Kate sweat dropped at the principal's reaction.

"He really wants Judai and Kohaku to win, doesn't he?" the latter asked.

"I wonder why myself now," the former admitted.

Back to the duel, now that Manjoume and Yuri's field are clear of monsters, Kohaku went and declared an attack. "Go, Circus Freak Beast Tamer! Attack Yuri directly!" Her monster went and whipped the opposing duelist.

 **Manjoume and Yuri: 2700 LP  
** **Judai and Kohaku: 3200 LP**

"Follow him, Trampoline! To Manjoume!" The trampoline-body monster jumped at Manjoume. As he made an attempt to hug the boy, his body folded, trapping him in himself. He then tumbled over and unfolded, bouncing Manjoume away.

 **Manjoume and Yuri: 2300 LP  
** **Judai and Kohaku: 3200 LP**

"I end my turn!" Kohaku ended.

"Stand up! Stand up, Thunder, Edogawa!" Inchinose encouraged. His students all cheered along with him, chanting Manjoume's name.

The former of the two shakily got back up. "My turn... Draw..." He drew his next card. "I summon Armed Dragon Lv 3 in Defense Mode! Come forth, Armed Dragon Lv 3!" The child form of Manjoume's new ace monster appeared on the field. "I place one card face down and end my turn!"

"Take a look! That's who I named 'Thunder' all right!"

"He sure didn't waste any time summoning out a monster," Shou said.

"And in Defense Mode too," Jacko added.

"However, calling out another Armed Dragon..." Misawa analyzed. "That Manjoume... I'm starting to see his pattern."

"Then you know what he's going to do next?" Tiffany asked.

"All I know is he's starting to panic."

Down at the field, Judai and Kohaku noticed Manjoume looking to the side. Both followed his eye sight and saw he was looking at his brothers.

"Why's he looking at his brothers?" the latter of the two asked.

"Now that I think about it..." the former spoke, realizing something. "Earlier, before I got here, I saw Manjoume going on about how he was a bum, how heavy of a weight it is to be a representative and that he has to win. I thought it was because he was one of the two representatives of the North Campus that he was saying that."

"When he was referring to his brothers." Kohaku looked down, eyes shadowed. "Dueling isn't suppose to be about winning. We're the only ones who can show and prove them wrong, Judai."

"You mean Manjoume and his brothers?"

"Not just them. Don't forget, we're being broadcast. With that being said, we should make this duel one to remember!"

Judai smiled at those words. "Yeah! Here goes! My turn!" Judai drew out his next card. "I summon Elemental Hero Wildman!" Judai's wild hero appeared on the field.

 **Elemental Hero Wildman: Level 4/EARTH/Warrior/1500 ATK/1600 DEF**

"Now I attack Armed Dragon Lv 3 with Wildman! **Wild Slash!** " Judai's monster raised his weapon and swung it down on his opponent, destroying it.

"Trap card activate! Grave of Revival! When a monster is destroyed by battle, this card allows two players to summon out a monster from their Graveyard in Defense Mode! And I'm Special Summoning Armed Dragon Lv 5!" Manjoume's second stage ace appeared back on the field.

"But monsters summoned that way can't change their battle position," Shou pointed out.

"However, even in Defense Mode, he can still use Lv 5's special ability," Misawa also pointed out. "The only strong monsters in Judai and Kohaku's graveyards are Elemental Hero Tempester, Circus Freak Time Space Magician and Circus Freak Rune Magician."

"But even so, all Tempester can do is defend. Time Space can protect his fellow 'Circus Freak' monsters. And Rune Magician is useless without Circus Counters," Bella pointed out.

"Why didn't Judai attack Yuri directly then?! If they did that, they could've avoided Manjoume's trap from activating and at the same time deal damage to them!" Ellie questioned.

"True as it may be, but we all should know better than expect that from him," Asuka stated. "After all, both Judai and Kohaku could care less of the advantage they have over their opponent. Just as long as they have fun."

"She's right. Otherwise, they wouldn't be the Judai and Kohaku we know," Alex agreed.

"Now then, call out a monster, Kohaku!" Manjoume demanded.

"If you're going to go for your ace monster, then I as well! Come, Circus Freak Time Space Magician!" Kohaku's key monster came onto the field.

 **Circus Freak Time Space Magician: Level 7/DARK/Spellcaster/2500 ATK/2000 DEF**

"Should've known you would summon your Key card at some point."

"Well of course. After all, Time Space Magician is the leader of the 'Circus Freaks'!"

"And with this I end my turn!" Judai ended.

"My turn! Draw!" Yuri drew his next card. "I activate the Magic card, Pot of Greed to draw two cards!" Yuri drew more cards. "Next I activate the magic card, Resurrection of the Dead to bring back Judai's Elemental Hero Tempester from his Graveyard!" Judai's Fusion monster appeared on his field in Attack Mode.

"Tempester!" Judai cried out.

"This isn't good," Kohaku stated.

"Next I activate Reincarnation of the Dead! By discarding one card from my hand, I can add a monster back to my hand! I send Metal Devilzoa to the Graveyard to add back its original form to my hand! Lastly, I activate Ancient Rule, which allows me to Special Summon a Normal Monster from my hand! Come, Devilzoa!" What was once Yuri's clear field now contained two strong monsters.

"Battle! I attack Circus Freak Trampoline with Elemental Hero Tempester! **Chaos Tempest!** " Judai's monster went in to attack his target.

"I won't let you! I activate Another Act's effect! By removing one of Beast Tamer's Circus Counter and Circus Freak Dancer from my Graveyard, I can activate a Magic or a Trap card from any one of our Graveyard! That card will be none other than Action Magic, Avoid!" Trampoline leapt away from the attack.

"However, that effect can only be used once per turn! I attack with Devilzoa! **X Scissors!** " Yuri's monster charged at his target.

Judai jumped on a mushroom and leapt into the air, getting an Action card from high up on a tree. "Action Magic, Magical Force! This will give Circus Freak Trampoline a little boost against Devilzoa!" It wasn't much, but Trampoline was growing with power.

 **Circus Freak: 400 + 500 = 900 ATK**

"But it's still not enough to protect you!" Yuri pointed out, as Kohaku's monster was still destroyed.

 **Manjoume and Yuri: 2300 LP  
** **Judai and Kohaku: 1500 LP**

"I end my turn!"

"My turn! Draw!" Kohaku's eyes widened at the card she drew. " _Hola~! Bonjour~! Hello everybody~!_ " The main campus, especially Samejima, cheered once they heard those words. "We have just reached the great climax of this show~!"

While the North Campus were confused as to what she meant, the TV crew members and Manjoume's brothers weren't at all amused by her actions.

"What the hell is that girl saying?"

"Is she playing the fool?"

"We haven't reached the climax yet."

Alex, Bella and Seth's Duel monster spirits appeared by their side, telling them what the crew members had said.

"I've a feeling they're going to stop the show before the duel is over," Ino warned.

"And while the whole world is watching too," Hydranoid agreed.

"What should we do, Alex?" Twilight Dragon asked.

"I suggest we give them a good _freak show_ ~!" Freakstar Dragon suggested.

"Of course you would suggest that," Sakura said.

"Actually, that's not a bad idea," Alex admitted, much to their, Bella and Seth's shock. "The world wants to see the duel from beginning to the end after all. We can't have them cut the lines because the tv crew aren't getting what they want. Or the clients."

"I activate Another Act's effect! By removing another one of Beast Tamer's counters and Circus Freak Copycat from my Graveyard, I can activate Acrobalance from my Graveyard! With it, I fuse Circus Freak Time Space Magician with Circus Freak Beast Tamer! Performer of time and space. Gain the ferocious strength of the lion and become the new light that vanquishes the evil darkness! FUSION SUMMON! Appear now, ferocious magician with feral powers! Circus Freak Beast Magician!" The beastly version of Time Space Magician appeared on the field.

 **Circus Freak Beast Magician: Level 8/DARK/Spellcaster/3000 ATK/2600 DEF**

"Another Fusion Summon, is it?" Manjoume muttered.

"And since he's Fusion Summoned, Beast Magician gains the Circus Counters of all of his Fusion Materials! In this case, it's only one Circus Counter!" A ball of light appeared above Kohaku's newly summoned monster. "Battle! Circus Freak Beast Magician! Attack Devilzoa! **Feral Flame Burst!** " At that attack declaration, not only did all four duelists ran in search for an Action card, but the attacking Fusion Monster fired a burst of flames from his staff.

Manjoume caught a card from within a green light ball. "Action Magic, Encore! I can activate an Action Magic card from my Graveyard! I activate Avoid!"

In response, Kohaku also got an Action card from a ball of light. "Action Magic, No Action! This negates the activation of an Action Magic and destroys it!" A ray of light shot towards Manjoume's Action card and destroyed it.

At this point, Yuri got a hold of an Action Magic as well. "Action Magic, _**Healing Barrier**_! Any Battle Damage I take is reduced to zero and I gain Life Points equal to the damage instead!" A green force field appeared around him. As his Devilzoa got destroyed by Beast Magician's attack, his and Manjoume's Life Points went up.

 **Manjoume and Yuri: 2700 LP  
** **Judai and Kohaku: 1500 LP**

 _ **(Healing Barrier: Action Magic: This turn, any battle damage you take, you gain Life Points equal to the damage instead)**_

"Oh man. They were so close," Shou complained.

"Don't worry," Hayato said. "After all, they still have Beast Magician's effect."

"He's right," Ryo agreed. "When Beast Magician destroys a monster by battle-"

"-my opponent takes damage equal to the ATK of the Beast type Fusion Material monster used to summon him, plus an additional 100 points of damage for each Circus Counter he has!" Kohaku explained, at the same time as the Kaiser.

"Circus Freak Beast Tamer counts as a Beast-type monster while he was face-up on the field when he was used for Beast Magician's Fusion Summon and his ATK points are 1700!" Judai continued the explanation. "Adding 100 from Beast Magician's lone Circus Counter and the total is...!"

On cue, the Main Campus duelists all said the answer. "1800!"

" **Feral Flame Bullet!** " Beast Magician's Circus Counter shot out a large fire bullet at Yuri.

 **Manjoume and Yuri: 900 LP  
** **Judai and Kohaku: 1500 LP**

The Main Campus all started cheering for one of their representatives to somehow pull off the finishing blow.

Manjoume gritted his teeth as he continued to run and search for an Action Card. Fate seems to be on his side, as he found one in a ball of light, floating ahead of him. He grabbed it and smirked at the sight of it. "This is perfect! I activate the Action Magic, _**Spiritual Summon**_! With this card, when a monster is destroyed by battle, I can Special Summon a monster from my hand with Level equal to or lower than that monster, ignoring its summon conditions! So appear before me, Armed Dragon Lv 7!" Manjoume's ace monster's true form came back on the field.

 _ **(Spiritual Summon: Action Magic: When a monster on the field is destroyed, Special Summon one monster from your hand whose level is equal to or less than the destroyed monster's)**_

The sight of it made the North Campus cheer for him. "Thunder! Thunder! Manjoume... Thunder!"

"Great. Now it doesn't matter if they take out Armed Dragon Lv 5," Ryo stated.

"But even so, Armed Dragon Lv 7 has 2800 ATK. We can only hope that Manjoume doesn't draw out any cards that either boost its ATK or reduce Beast Magician's ATK," Asuka stated.

"I will end my turn here with one card face-down," Kohaku said, her smile still on her face. "People of Duel Academia! People of the world! You best feast your eyes on the rest of the duel~! Look away even for a second, and you will miss the final act~!"

"Ha! No doubt that there will be a final act!" Manjoume claimed. "On my turn, if not then Yuri's turn, you two are going down!"

"It seems you are mistaken. For the one who will be doing the final act, is none other than my partner, Yuki Judai!"

The Main Campus all had worried looks on their faces while some of North Campus laughed at her claim. Even Manjoume's brothers and the tv crew laughed at her claim. The representatives, on the other hand, either grew more annoyed by the minute or had on a nervous look on their face.

"There you go again, saying like it's easy for you to get a miracle! My turn!" Manjoume drew his card. He smirked at the sight of it. "I activate the Equip Magic, Cursed Armaments! The monster it is equipped to loses 600 ATK for each monster I control!"

"But why have a card like that in your deck?" Shou asked.

"An equip card doesn't have to be equipped to only your monster," Ellie stated. Shou caught on to what she meant by that.

"Which means he's going to use that on-"

"Beast Magician!" Alex finished for the '-roid' duelist.

"And with two monsters on Manjoume's field, he'll use 1200 ATK!" Bella added

True to their words, a set of armor with some deadly aura equipped itself onto Kohaku's Fusion Monster, reducing its power.

 **Circus Freak Beast Magician: 3000 - 1200 = 1800 ATK**

"And just to ensure you don't try to use any more of my cards, I activate the Instant Magic, Cyclone, to destroy Another Act!" A harsh wind came and destroyed Kohaku's continuous trap.

"Another Act's been destroyed! And it was one of Kohaku's main cards!" Tiffany cried out.

"Battle! I attack the weakened Circus Freak Beast Magician with Armed Dragon Lv 7! **Armed Punisher** **!** " Manjoume's monster went in to attack Kohaku's monster. As he did so, all four duelists ran in search for an action card to either counter the attack or counter the counter. That proved to be either useless or unnecessary, for the attack struck.

 **Manjoume and Yuri: 900 LP  
** **Judai and Kohaku: 500 LP**

"I'm not done yet! If Cursed Armament is sent from the field to the Graveyard, it re-equips itself onto another one of my opponent's monsters!" The Main Campus gasped in shock, as the armor equipped itself onto Judai's Wildman.

 **Elemental Hero Wildman: 1500 - 1200 = 300 ATK**

"And I'm not done yet! I send Masked Dragon from my hand to the Graveyard to activate Armed Dragon Lv 7's effect!"

"Masked Dragon's ATK is 1400. Monsters with less than that are destroyed," Ryo said.

"And Manjoume already conducted his Battle Phase," Hayato added. "Even if Winged Kuriboh's effect activates, it's already too late!"

" **Genocide Cutter!** " True to their words, Manjoume's ace unleashed its ability on Judai's monsters, clearing his and Kohaku's field of monsters completely.

"Ah man. He wiped out Judai and Kohaku-san's monsters again!" Seth said.

The representatives of the north laughed at the advantage they obtained. "Now neither of you have anything to take out Armed Dragon or Tempester," Yuri said.

The tv crew zoomed in on Manjoume's face. "Judai! Kohaku! I'll give you a chance to surrender now, live on TV, before you get humiliated!"

"Give us a break!" Kohaku replied. "No one is surrendering! Not when we're this far in the show!"

"Besides, like Kohaku said. Next turn, I'm going to make a miracle," Judai claimed. Hearing that claim caused Manjoume and Yuri to flinch slightly. "Either way, the next draw is my last. Still, I really wish I dueled the real Manjoume. The real Thunder."

"Are you saying Thunder-san wasn't dueling for real?!" Yuri demanded.

"Well, it doesn't look like he's giving his all in this duel, comparing with his fight with someone else."

"Besides, in a duel, nothing else should matter. Duels are suppose to bring smiles to everyone's faces. They're suppose to be a lot of fun!" Kohaku reasoned.

Manjoume didn't look like it, but he was putting their words into consideration.

"My turn! Draw!" Judai drew his next card. "I activate the Magic card, Warrior's Return! This allows me to bring back a Warrior-type monster from my Graveyard back to my hand! I bring Elemental Hero Featherman back to my hand! And next, I activate Fusion to fuse Featherman with Burstlady! Hero of the wind, heroine of the flames! Become one and give birth to a new power! FUSION SUMMON! Come forth, Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!" Judai's favorite card appeared on the field.

 **Elemental Hero Flame Wingman: Level 6/WIND/Warrior/2100 ATK/1200 DEF**

"You fool! What good will calling that thing out do?! My Armed Dragon's ATK is 2800. You can't defeat it!" Manjoume pointed out.

"I can. My surefire combo is complete!" Judai's words brought confusion to many people around him, except Kohaku. He revealed the last card in his hand, which was- "Field Magic, activate! Skyscraper!" The field changed into one that was best suited for Judai's monsters. Flame Wingman perched on top of the tallest building, looking down at Armed Dragon Lv 7. "Victory is our's! Go, Flame Wingman! Attack Armed Dragon Lv 7! **Flame Shoot!** " His monster jumped from his spot and shot out flames from his right arm. "At this time, Skyscraper's effect activates! When my 'Elemental Hero' monster battles an opponent's monster with a higher ATK, my monster gains 1000 ATK during the damage step!"

 **Elemental Hero Flame Wingman: 2100 + 1000 = 3100 ATK**

Having a horrible feeling of the outcome, despite the fact that Manjoume and Yuri, as well as Judai and Kohaku, ran to get an Action card to support the battling monsters, the director shouted, "Cut! Cut the signal!"

' _Now!_ ' Bella mentally shouted.

" **Shadow Imitation Jutsu.** " Shikamaru used his special ability to take control over some of the cameramen, having them all disobey the order, despite how much they want to. "Like Kohaku was saying, enjoy the duel 'til the very end."

Manjoume somehow managed to find an Action card. "Action Magic, Selection of Miracle! With this card, I have a choice of either taking half the battle damage of one battle or preventing a monster from being destroyed! Armed Dragon will not be destroyed by this battle!"

Kohaku and Judai both spotted an Action card on a tree ahead of them.

"I activate the Continuous Trap, Redo! This lets me Special Summon a Level 4 or lower 'Circus Freak' monster from my Graveyard! Come back to us, Circus Freak Trampoline!" Kohaku's monster returned to the field.

Yuri caught an Action Card from the rooftop of a house. "I activate the Action Magic, _**No Spell!**_ A monster on the field loses its effect! We're not letting Armed Dragon Lv 7 leave!" A spellbook appeared before Trampoline and exploded at his face.

 _ **(No Spell: Action Magic: Target one monster on the field; that monster has its effects negated.)**_

"Who said anything about sending your monster back?" Kohaku asked with a smirk.

Trampoline positioned himself before his duelist and her partner, at a spot where they will be able to get the Action card. The two jumped on his body and bounced high into the air. Sensing they were falling, Kohaku grabbed Judai's arm and tossed him higher to the card. The male Osiris caught the card.

"Action Magic, Assault! This increases a monster's ATK by 600!" Judai countered. Everyone got excited as his monster's ATK went up again.

 **Elemental Hero Flame Wingman: 3100 + 600 = 3700 ATK**

"Flame Wingman's power went up even further!" Shou said.

"Flame Wingman's power is 3700. And Armed Dragon's power is 2800," Ellie started to calculate.

"That's a difference of 900," Seth finished the calculation.

"And Manjoume and Yuri's Life Points are at 900!" Tiffany added.

Yuri also did the math and knew he had to hurry to an Action card. He found one but... "A Trap?!"

"Action Trap, _**Spell Backfire**_! A monster on the owner's field loses half its ATK and DEF!" Kohaku explained, as Elemental Hero Tempester started to shrink down to half his size.

 **Elemental Hero Tempester: 2800 / 2 = 1400 ATK/2800 / 2 = 1400 DEF**

 _ **(Spell Backfire: Action Trap: A monster you control loses half its ATK and DEF)**_

This didn't change the outcome of the battle, as Flame Wingman's attack struck true, the flames also hitting Manjoume and Yuri.

 **Manjoume and Yuri: 000 LP  
** **Judai and Kohaku: 500 LP**

 **WINNER: JUDAI AND KOHAKU!**

Everyone cheered at the outcome of the duel, as the holograms disappeared. Manjoume's brothers approached the defeated duelists with looks of disappointment, especially to Manjoume himself.

"Jun! What the hell were you doing?!" Chousaku demanded. "Didn't you know what you had to do?!"

"You besmirched the Manjoume name!" Shouji told him.

"I'm sorry, brothers..." the youngest of the three brothers apologized.

"What happened to the cards we gave you?!"

"Why didn't you use them?! If you did, you would've made a stronger deck!"

"I wanted to win with my own deck..."

None of the older brothers were satisfied with the answer, as Shouji picked him up by the collar. "You idiot of a little brother!"

"That's why you're the bum of the family!" the oldest of the three said.

"Stop it, guys!" Judai shouted. "Knock it off! Manjoume battled with all he had!"

"Are you strangers butting into our sibling affairs?"

"That's all the more reason why you shouldn't act like that!" Kohaku shouted. "If you're his older siblings, then act like one! An older sibling is suppose to support the younger sibling's decision, no matter what it was!" Her friends looked at her sadly, knowing she was speaking from experience. "At the very least, be glad that he gave everything he had in that tag duel! Especially with a newly made technology!"

"We're not interested in the process. We only care about the results!" Shouji told her.

"For us siblings, results are essential. Results are everything! And winning is everything! And besides, how much do you think we spend on this duel?!" Chousaku questioned.

"And this guy made a disgrace of us!"

Kohaku looked over to Yuri, who was back on his feet. "Edogawa-san, tell me. During that tag duel, what do you think? About Manjoume?"

Everyone looked at her strangely, wondering why she asked that question. Eventually, Yuri gave his answer. "We may have lost, but I must admit; that duel was amazing. And Manjoume-san was giving his all. As a duelist, Manjoume was a real duelist!"

Kohaku turned to the audience and pointed at one of the North Academia duelists. "And what about you?! What do you think about the duel?! Did Manjoume losing make you think differently of him?!"

"Yeah it made me think differently! When he first stepped in Duel Academia North Campus, when he defeated us all, I thought he must be a strong duelist. But, after watching this duel, I was wrong! Thunder-san isn't just strong; he's skilled! Despite this being the first time we've ever heard of Action Duel, after only one demonstration, Thunder-san was still able to use the field to his advantage! There's no duelist I can think of who is better than Thunder-san!"

The 'Circus Freak' duelist pointed at another North Academia duelist. "And what about you?!"

"Thunder-san may have lost, but at least he dueled like a true man!" he answered.

"And what about the rest of you?! The Main Campus as well! This duel... What do you think of Manjoume after this duel?!"

Everyone gave their answer. "Thunder-san did his best!" "Those brothers know nothing about Manjoume-san!" "That duel was awesome!" "Manjoume-san is still one of the best!"

The two brothers looked around, bothered by their words.

"I can ask the whole world that question. And I guarantee you, they all will have similar answers!" Kohaku told them.

"Ha! That's why we told the TV crew to cut the signal if the duel didn't go our way," Chousaku retorted.

"Doesn't look that way to me," Bella spoke.

"If anything, I think they're still recording this conversation," Alex also spoke up.

Everyone looked at the cameramen and saw that they are, under Shikamaru's control that is, indeed still recording everything that's happening, with the director shouting at them to cut the signals.

"What the hell are you doing?! I said cut the signals!" he shouted.

"W-We're trying to but...!" one of the cameramen spoke.

"Our bodies won't listen to us!" another said.

"Don't be ridiculous!" the director shouted.

"Sorry, but this is just too good to pass on," Shikamaru said, not like they can hear him.

"Those _freaky_ guys _freaky_ deserves it!" Freakstar Dragon said.

Manjoume's brothers widened their eyes in shock, not believing that the whole duel and the aftermath was being recorded. The 'Armed Dragon' duelist in question released himself from Shouji's grip.

"Brothers... Leave here and never come back," he spoke, snapping them out of their stupor. "People like you who only care about winning or losing has no place in any Duel Academia. Now go home!"

"Yeah! Go home! Go back home!" the audience agreed.

"Manjoume Thunder! That was well said!" half of the North campus called.

"You told them, Thunder!" the other half cheered.

Seeing that everyone was on his side, the older Manjoume brothers took their leave.

* * *

Later that day, everyone gathered at the port to see the North Campus, mainly Manjoume, take their leave back to their school.

"So you're going back?" Shou asked.

"Take care, Manjoume. Let's duel again sometime!" Judai said.

"No. I'm not going back to the North Campus," Manjoume corrected, much to the north's shock. "I've got something left to do here."

"Something left to do?" Yuri repeated in a questioned tone.

"Edogawa! I return the title of 'King' to you!"

"W-Why return it, Thunder?!"

Ignoring him, Manjoume turned to Samejima and said, "That's how it is, principal. I want to be taken in."

"Of course. After all, you were originally a student here, Manjoume-kun," Samejima nodded.

"But, if that happens, I'll take my campus' entrusted-"

"Now then, ladies and gentlemen!" Kazato called, interrupting Ichinose. "Before our guests of the North Campus make their leave, let's commence the award's ceremony! That being said, let us welcome the prize, Miss Duel Academia~!"

Everyone gathered around, all wondering who such a person was.

"Miss Duel Academia?" Alex repeated.

"Was there really someone like that here?" Bella asked.

Appearing on stage was Miss Duel Academia, or Tome-san in an orange dress and wearing some make-up.

"It's a makeup monster!" Judai paled in shock. Everyone seemed to agree with him about that.

"Now then, will the winning principal please step up?" Kazato requested, not at all fazed by the prize.

Samejima walked up to the stage and got a kiss on the cheek by Tome-san.

"We were duking it out for something like this?!" Kohaku asked.

In the background, Ichinose was crying, encouraging Manjoume to become stronger as he went on the sub.

As the sub was making its leave, many of the North Campus cried as they waved farewell to Manjoume.

"This turned out great, isn't it?" Samejima asked.

"Of course," Manjoume nodded.

"Well, things may be all well and good, Manjoume-kun, but even if you do return here, you won't be an Obelisk Blue, since you were gone for quite a long while," Kate told him. Hearing that shocked the boy. "According to the rules, all transfer students start off as Osiris Red."

"What?! Me in Osiris Red?!"

The moment he raised his voice at the mother Fiore, she suddenly glared down at him, her bangs shadowing her eyes and giving off quite a scary atmosphere. "Did I hear a student complain about the rules of the academy just now?"

"N-No ma'am!" he quickly replied.

"Yosh! With that being said, how about we do a return party for Manjoume?!" Kohaku suggested.

"Hey! Don't just decide on your own!"

Ignoring the poor boy, the 'Circus Freak' duelist shouted, "With me now everyone! One! Ten!"

"One hundred!" everyone followed along. "One thousand! Manjoume Thunder! Manjoume Thunder!" After the chant, everyone huddled around the return student, all welcoming him in Osiris Red.


	32. A Trip to the Duel of Darkness

**Coral: I decided to put up another chapter for this story before moving on to my other stories. Enjoy this long chapter. I guarantee you will love it.**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 ** _*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*_**

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

 _ ***OPENING***_

 ** _(Instrumental)_** _(_ _The scene begins with a nice top view of the island_ _)_

 ** _To the beginning sky... towards the shining light  
_** _(The camera looks up to the sky, having a nice view of it and the sun as the anime logo slowly appeared)  
_ ** _There's nothing to fear... because I'm here..._** _  
(Freakstar Dragon with Naruto on his back and Time Space Magician flew pass the logo the Spellcaster-type shined the crystal ball on his staff, changing the scene)_

 ** _Falling countless times to your knees_** _  
_ ** _Not protecting your own pride  
_** _(Kohaku slipped on a banana peel and was laughed at by many students. She laughed along with them)  
_ ** _Only coming up with just doubts_** _  
_ ** _Do not close your eyes just yet  
_** _(Alex and Bella looked at the scene in slight envy at how she was, in a way, getting along with many others despite her being in Red and daughter of a famous circus' ringmaster and walked their separate ways)_

 ** _I absolutely cannot see  
_** ** _the possibility that's here and now  
_** _(Judai was imagining himself as the next King of Games. Manjoume and his friends along with Chronos glared at how impossible it would be for him while Misawa, Shou and Hayato looked at him with interest or slight admiration)  
_ ** _When these tears turn into rain  
_** ** _I just want you to notice_** _  
(Asuka and Ryou were at the entrance of the Abandon Dorm and stared at a picture of the latter's brother with determination)_

 ** _Spit out all the vexing things  
_** ** _Because there's a meaning for taking things  
_** _(Bella was remembering the time when she was younger, getting bullied and being isolated by others because of her powers. Her patience went to her limit as she accidentally summoned a monster and released it onto them)  
_ ** _Even if you desire everything, you don't need to grasp it all  
_** _(_ _Alex was remembering when he was accepted into Duel Academy and told the principal that he wished to start at the lowest rank, just to be bullied by those of a higher rank_ _)  
_ ** _Just keep a hold of one most important thing_** _  
(Kohaku placed her hands on their shoulders and snapped them out of the memory lane and smiled at them then pushed them to the rest of their friends)_

 ** _In the beginning of the sky, I welcome you  
_** ** _do not ever look back just look forward  
_** _(Judai had out Flame Wingman, who fought against Chronos' Antique Gear Golem and Asuka's Cyber Blader, as Kohaku had out Time Space Magician, who was going head-to-head against Alex's Light and Darkness Dragon and Bella's Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama)  
_ ** _If you feel the wind on your back  
_** ** _then there won't be anything to worry about_** _  
(Shou and his monsters were looking at his brother and his monsters with determination, who smirked in approval, causing the younger sibling to smile back)_

 ** _If you would look around, you'd see all these smiling faces  
_** _(In another realm, it showed all of Kohaku, Bella, Alex, Judai, Shou, Hayato, and Asuka's monsters smiling at the camera)  
_ ** _Do not carry everything by yourself  
_** _(Kohaku was looking at her late sister's deck in her hand with a solemn look, the deck's monster spirits floating right by her side)  
_ ** _Don't rush either, the answer is along the way  
_** _(The scene turned dark and the whole gang were running towards the light)  
_ ** _you'll definitely find it for sure_** _  
(They arrived at a lighthouse, looking up at the night sky)_

* * *

It's been a couple of days since the School Duel. Everyone was in class doing their lesson. In one certain class, a certain boy was sleeping through his lesson.

"And to that end, alchemy in the Middle Ages was used to make gold by mixing chemicals, like this-nya," Daitokuji said, as he started to mix two chemicals together. Seconds later, it exploded, causing everyone to worry for the Headmaster of Osiris Red. As the smoke dissipates, the professor was seen coughing, slightly covered in soot. "But... it doesn't mean they could use it-nya..." He then collapsed. As soon as he passed out, the bell rung.

Judai, who was sleeping through the whole thing with eyelids painted to make it seem like he was awake, woke up with a yawn. "I sure slept a lot. Okay! Now for lunch!"

"You were asleep?!" Shou asked, unaware that his 'brother' was sleeping through the lesson.

"P-Please wait a second-nya," Daitokuji spoke, getting back up with a pile of paper in his hand. "I want you to take this handout with you-nya."

"Huh? Is it homework?" Judai asked.

"No it isn't-nya! I've planned a picnic for this Sunday to visit the dormant ruins on this island-nya! I'd like those interested to come-nya!"

* * *

The day of the trip came. The students who were interested in coming were right outside of school, with their professor as their guide.

"I'm so glad everyone came today-nya!" Daitokuji said.

"Everyone? There's only ten of us, you know," Shou said. Of the whole class, he, Hayato, Judai, Asuka, Kohaku, Alex, Bella, Jacko, Seth and Tiffany were attending the trip. Decent number, but not the whole class. "On top of that, it's like Professor Daitokuji was able to get us here against our will..."

"Still, I'm interested in those ruins," Hayato admitted. "Those ruins are close to the volcano, so it's off-limits."

"Then it's a good thing the professor set up a trip for us. Since this may be a once-in-a-life-time experience," Jacko said.

"It's also a good exercise," Tiffany added.

"Well, since we're Osiris Red, we have to go. But what a surprise you guys came," Judai said, referring to the non-Reds.

"Those ruins have a shady history. It's said that they even had something to do with the Duels of Darkness," Asuka gave her reason.

"So they have a connection to your brother's disappearance?"

"Well I don't really know..." Asuka felt a funny look directed to her and slowly looked to see Kohaku with her cat smile. Instantly getting what she was referring to, the Obelisk Blue instantly pulled the female Ra Yellow by her cheeks. "It's not what you think!"

"Ow ow ow ow! I didn't say anything!" the performer of a duelist defended, waving her arms, her smile not leaving her face.

Bella and Alex sighed, expecting this would happen the moment Asuka and Judai spoke with each other. The two pried Asuka's hands off of Kohaku and distanced the two away from each other.

"How did we know this would happen?" Alex asked.

"Instinct, maybe," Bella answered.

"Is this a normal thing for them?" Jacko asked Tiffany and Seth.

"Might as well be," the idol of a duelist answered.

"So to say, yeah," the young Ra also replied.

"They say these ancient ruins are graves of the ancients-nya," Daitokuji informed. When he said that, Shou seemed to have realized something and dragged Judai out of earshot. At the same time, Kohaku had on a saddened look when she heard the word 'grave'.

' _Now that I think about it, how long has it been since I last prayed at her grave?_ ' she wondered, referring to her younger twin.

"Are you okay, Kohaku?" Hibiki asked, appearing by her side.

"Just wondering. How long it's been since I last visited," she replied in a whispered tone.

"If it makes you feel better, you can pray while you're in the ruins," Tsubasa suggested. "Your prayers might still reach your sister."

"Maybe."

"Now everyone, let's head out-nya!" the headmaster of Osiris Red called, walking towards their destination. Everyone else followed in suit.

* * *

Several hours later, after all the walking and hiking, the group finally arrived at their destination.

"This is the entrance to the ruins-nya," Daitokuji told them. Everyone looked in amazement.

"The ruins are kinda ruined," Judai stated.

"That's why it's called 'ruins'," Jacko said.

"Inside are what are said to be the more-amazing ruins of ancient duel arenas and the ruins of the graves-nya!" their professor continued.

"Is it just me or is the professor more excited about being here than any of us?" Alex asked.

"After such a long hike, I'm a bit envious of his stamina," Tiffany said.

"Before we really go and explore the ruins, let's eat our lunch!" Judai suggested.

"I-I don't see why not-nya," the professor stuttered. "Well then, we'll use this time to eat our boxed lunches-nya!" Everyone cheered in agreement. "As the professor, I have a boxed lunch made specially by Tome-san from the store-nya!"

The students were about to take out their lunch when they heard that.

"You used your whole backpack for your lunch? Share some it with me!" Judai begged.

"I don't want to-nya! There isn't enough to share with everyone-nya!" The boy gave up after hearing those words and sat back down on the picnic blanket. Daitokuji dug in to find his lunch. When he felt something furry, he took it out with an odd look, only to see his cat with crumbs on his face. "Pharaoh! You ate my lunch-nya?!" He went on his hands and knees, fallen into depression.

Noticing his students still have their lunch, he turned to them. "I'd like you to share your lunch with your professor-nya!"

"We don't want to-nya! There isn't any lunch to share with you-nya!" Judai teased, as everyone held their meal protectively, giving the older man the same look he gave the 'Elemental Hero' duelist.

"Don't say such cold thing! What am I suppose to do-nya?!"

"You're the one who said it first, professor!" Shou exclaimed.

As they continued to tease the teacher, Kohaku, Alex and Seth opened their bags for their lunch, only to have their eyes widened at the sight of the inside.

"Hey. You can give your lunch to the professor," the youngest of the three called.

Everyone turned to him with confused looks, minus the other Ra students and the professor.

"See~? He gets it-nya," Daitokuji said.

"What are you saying, Seth?" Jacko asked.

"Well, Kohaku's mom made us some lunch before we left, and from the looks of it..." Alex trailed off, as the three took out their lunch boxes. To their surprise, like the professor, the three Ra's whole backpacks were used for lunchboxes. Each box contained various meal, such as spaghetti, steak, sushi, teriyaki, shish kabobs, pasta, and some fruit salad.

"Wh-Wh-Where...?" Bella asked.

"Like I said, Kohaku's mom made these. We didn't know how much she made exactly that time, but she said to share some with you guys."

"Kohaku's mother is an angel from the heavens-nya~!" Daitokuji said, crying anime tears.

"You're mistaken, professor," Kohaku spoke, much to everyone's confusion. "My mom said and I quote, 'I may have made a bit too much for your three. Why don't you share some with your friends?' You're not our friend; you're our teacher."

He paled at those words, and everyone else gathered around the Ra students, who were sharing their lunch with them.

"Whoa! Your mom's an awesome cook!" Hayato commented, trying a shish kabob.

"Back when the Animer Circus was still up, my mom took it upon herself to cook for everyone. So after we ate at the restaurants, she asked the head chef for the recipes and secrets to some of their dishes and managed to get them right every time," Kohaku explained, eating some sushi.

"So wait, your mom's cooking for Ra Yellow now?! That's nice," Tiffany said.

"Oh no. She's not working as a chef; my mom and dad are going on a picnic somewhere on the island, so while she was making something for them, she made lunch for us." Everyone nodded in understanding.

Just then, green beams of light shot from the ground to the sky. Everyone stood in shock and looked up. They saw the sun split in three and what seemed like an aurora had appeared in the sky. Everyone was in awe at the sight before them.

"Kohaku!" came Time Space Magician's voice. Those who were able to see Duel Monster spirits turned to him. "You all have to run away from here!"

"It's dangerous!" came Sakura's voice, as she appeared by his side. "Hurry up and run!"

Lights started flashing in the sky. "Everyone, run-nya!" Daitokuji shouted. The students did as he said and ran. "Run to the inside of the ruins-nya!"

Suddenly, Freakstar Dragon appeared before them, not that more than half them can see though. " _FREEEEAAAAKKKKKK_! DON'T HEAD IN THERE!"

"H-Huh?!" they could only ask.

"This way!" came Naruto's voice. The group saw him waving his arm to follow.

"Aniki!" Shou called.

"It's a little cramped-nya," Daitokuji said.

Looking back at the ruins their friends and teacher were hiding in, they saw there was no space left for the rest of them.

"We'll be fine! You guys hide in there!" Judai told them. With that, the psychic duelist group followed the Duel Monster spirits direction to safety. They didn't get far as the light caught up to them.

* * *

Later, Judai, Kohaku, Alex, Bella and Seth found themselves lying on the grassy ground. Getting up, they were shocked and amazed to see a pyramid before their eyes.

"What happened?" Seth dared to ask.

"I think I'd remember seeing a pyramid on the island," Alex said.

Judai looked behind them and called out to the group. "Hey guys! Isn't that gate...?"

"That looks like the entrance to the ruins," Bella identified. "But... I don't think I remember it being complete like that."

"Are we all dreaming?" Kohaku wondered. She felt pain on her butt as she yelped, jump and turned to see Freakstar Dragon with his hands clasped, pointer fingers out.

"Still think this is a _freaky_ dream?" he asked with a cackle.

The performer gave him a good hit on the head, knocking him out. "That hurts, dummy!"

Everyone looked at what happened in shock and surprise.

"Kohaku, when were ever able to touch Duel Monster spirits?" Bella asked.

The female Ra looked at her in confusion, when she then realized she actually punched Alex's monster.

"How can you be touched?!" she demanded the downed dragon.

"You people!" called a new voice. "This is a sacred ground, and you should not be here! You must leave here at once!" The group turned and saw a woman in a dark robe with a serious expression.

"You're not someone from Duel Academia, are you?" Judai asked.

The woman heard footsteps and grabbed Judai, dragging him to the blunt side of a staircase. Everyone else followed and leaned against it. "Do you wish to be captured by the gravekeeper's soldiers like the rest?!" she questioned.

"Captured?" Seth repeated.

"What do you mean?" Kohaku asked.

The woman silenced them.

They saw a group of men approaching up the stairs, none who noticed them and walked right past them.

"What do you mean by 'captured'?" Judai asked, as soon as they were gone.

Alex looked down and noticed the bag in the woman's hand. "That's Hayato's-"

"This is the sacred royal family's gravesite," she interrupted. "Those who set foot here without permission will be buried alive in the gravesite."

"Then take us to the others!" Bella told her. "We have to help them! My boyfriend is with them!"

The woman looked deeply in their eyes and saw that they all feel the same way. "You will also be buried," she said, handing Seth Hayato's bag. She then walked off, with the duelists following her.

Eventually, they arrived at a small site. "Wait here," their guide told them.

"We're going too," Judai told her.

"This gravesite is huge. If you blindly walk about, you will only be caught by the palace guards. You must wait."

The group knew what she said was true and obliged.

Just as the woman was about to leave, she seemed to have noticed something and looked back at them. "By the way, weren't there five of you?"

The duelists had confused looks and looked about, noticing there was someone missing.

"Kohaku!" they all carefully shouted in a whispered tone.

* * *

With the girl in question, she was never one for obligations. At least, not when she's in an area she's unfamiliar with. The first thing she does whenever she's at a place she doesn't know is to explore, which is exactly what she's doing.

"This place looks a lot like it exists in ancient times," she stated.

"Kohaku! This isn't the time to be fooling around! You have to go back to everyone else!" Time Space Magician scolded, appearing by her side.

"I know that. I know but..." He noticed her trembling. When she looked at him, he couldn't help but widened his eyes in shock. "You should know that being in an unfamiliar place means going on an adventure for me." Kohaku's eyes were sparkling and she had a huge grin on her face.

' _I was a fool to think she would take this seriously,_ ' he thought.

"Besides, if we look from high places, we should be able to find the others faster," she added. "Let's go!" She took off at a random direction.

"Wait, Kohaku!" Time Space Magician followed after his master.

* * *

Some time later, the two somehow found themselves lost in the place.

"Huh? Didn't we go this way already?" the duelist asked.

"This is why I told you to return to everyone else," the monster said with a sweat drop. His master simply laughed nervously.

"Who are you?!" came a voice. The two looked down and saw a girl wearing clothes fitting for an Egyptian princess looking up at them from a window. "You shouldn't be here. Leave this place immediately!"

"Do you live here? We're looking for our friends," Kohaku tried to explain.

The girl looked behind her and quickly gestured them over to her side. Although slightly confused, the two obliged at the request. The next thing they knew, the girl pushed them in a closet.

"Keep quiet," she whispered, closing the door.

The two stayed still in silence. They heard a door open and footsteps walking in the room.

"Princess, are you okay?!" came a man's voice.

"Yes, I'm fine," the girl answered.

"You sure? We heard you shout," came another man's voice.

"I thought I saw someone unfamiliar. Turns out it was just my imagination."

"I see. Do be careful though. There are some strangers in our sacred ground. You see them, give a shout." At that, footsteps were heard leaving the room, with the door closing.

Kohaku and Time Space Magician looked at each other before the girl opened the closet door and let them out.

"I managed to buy you some time. Now leave, before they come back," she said.

"We can't," Kohaku told her. "Like I said, we're looking for our friends."

"They may be buried alive by now. There's no point in looking for them."

"You don't know that. Like how the audience doesn't know the outcome of a show, I won't know if my friends are okay or not if I don't find them."

"There's no point in trying to find them if you're caught dead."

"I'd rather try than turn my back on those important to me."

The girl looked at Kohaku's eyes and saw that she would still go no matter what she says. "Don't say I didn't warn you." She walked to the window and pointed at a direction. "If you go over there, you'll most likely find your friends in coffins. If they're not there, then that means they're already buried alive."

The two looked at the direction she was pointing at.

Time Space Magician narrowed his eyes at the direction. "Isn't that Judai dueling over there?"

Kohaku narrowed her eyes at the question and saw it to be true. "It's true! He's there!"

"If your friend is going through the ritual of ordeal, then it means he's fortunate," the girl told them. "Now go. And don't be seen by anyone." The two nodded and left the room.

* * *

As soon as they arrived at their destination, they found Judai with the rest of their group, along with a masked girl and a man in white robes.

Time Space took this opportunity to disappear as his master shouted, "Hey guys!"

They all turned and saw her running to them. "Kohaku!" Tiffany called in relief.

As soon as she caught up to them, Bella hit her on the head and demanded, "Where did you go, you performer idiot!"

"Haha... I may have a habit of exploring when I'm in a new place," she giggled.

"Even though it's so dangerous here," the man asked. Kohaku could only giggle and rub her head at the question.

"Now, return to your own world with your friends," the man told Judai.

"But how do we get back?" he asked.

"The three heaven lights will overlap as one. Before the curtain of light appears, you must arrive at the gate to the royal family's gravesite." After he finished explaining, the group heard footsteps. Turning to the source, they all saw a lot of guys with spears approaching them angrily. "What are you doing?!"

"Those who raid the royal family's gravesite must face judgement!" one of them answered.

"Face judgement!" the rest of them agreed.

"Stop! This young boy went through our ritual, in accordance with the law, and made it through the ordeal!" the man said.

"It seems you've forgotten, chief," one of the guys said. "The law has changed since the last time you lost the ritual. And besides, one of our men saw her interacting with the princess!" He pointed at Kohaku when he said that.

"Who me?!" she asked.

"Of course! Lord Saniwa will not be pleased to let another intruder leave after interacting with his daughter!"

The chief and the masked woman grimaced at his words and had no choice but to cease the humans.

"Wait a second! What are you doing?!" Judai asked.

"I thought you said we could leave!" Jacko said.

"You could've, but due to another law, should the outsider interact with our princess, it doesn't matter if they passed the ritual, they and their compliances must face dire consequences from our lord, himself," the woman said.

"No way!" Shou exclaimed, crying anime tears.

"Wait a second! It's me the lord wants, isn't it?! Then they shouldn't be involved!" Kohaku pointed out.

"I'm sorry. But a law is a law," the chief apologized, as they dragged the group to a pyramid.

* * *

"You just had to separate from us, didn't you Kohaku?!" Alex shouted, as they walked down the hall.

The performer laughed nervously at the situation she got them into. "I guess I deserve that for running off."

"You guess? You guess?! Why did you ever run off?!" Bella asked.

"I can't help it! Whenever I'm in a place I'm not familiar with, the first thing I want to do is to explore! It helps if I want to do some stunts!"

"This isn't one of those places where you can just do your stunts!" Kohaku's best friends shouted.

"Silence!" one of the soldiers shouted, poking them with his spear.

The rest of the walk was silent. Eventually, they arrived in what seemed like a throne room. On the other side of the room, up some stairs, were three men sitting in three thrones. On their left was an elderly woman in white Egyptian robe with a staff. On their right was a man dressed as anubis. In the center was a blonde man in black Egyptian clothes fit for a royal, a staff in his hand.

"Who was it?" the one in the center spoke. "Who was the one who spoke with my daughter?!"

Although slightly frightened, Kohaku stepped up. "It was me! You got a problem with that?!"

"I am Gravekeeper's Saniwa. The last time an outsider spoke with her, he filled her head with lies! Lies about you graverobbers! Not only that, but he turned into a great enemy! I will not have you people leave this place alive!"

"You can't judge us for what another person had done! We're nothing like him! Besides, it's me you want, isn't it? Let the others go! Especially since Judai won that duel for our freedom!"

While Gravekeeper's Saniwa glared at her, the woman next to him spoke. "We understand that your friend there passed our ritual. However, it doesn't change the fact that, since you strayed away from your group, you may be working for the last outsider. Our princess is too kind for her own good. Too trusted, you see."

"To take advantage of my daughter's kindness... I won't forgive you!" Saniwa said.

The anubis man next to him raised a hand, as if to silence him, much to his confusion. He leaned a little closer, whispering something in his ear. Whatever it was caused the center man to widened his eyes for a short second.

"Very well. It seems you're in luck," he spoke. "You have a chance to redeem yourselves, a chance for freedom." Hearing that brought hope in the humans' eyes.

"Great! What is it?!" Daitokuji asked.

"A duel. Against you." He pointed at Kohaku. "Depending on how well you pass my trial, I will release you all."

"If it's a duel you want, it's a duel you'll get!" she accepted.

* * *

The group arrived at what seemed to be a duel field used back in ancient times before Duel Monsters were made into cards. On one side of the field was Kohaku, equipped with a duel disk, in which she was handed. On the other side was Gravekeeper's Saniwa, without a duel disk, but still had his staff.

"Good luck, Kohaku!" Tiffany cheered.

"You better not lose!" Jacko said.

"Don't worry!" Kohaku assured.

"I wouldn't tell such a lie, if I were you," Saniwa told her. "I guarantee you, you will not win."

"You can't predict how a show will go. DUEL!" She drew out her starting hand.

"May the trial begin," her opponent spoke. He swung his staff and, out from the head, were five Duel Monster cards.

 **Kohaku: 4000 LP**  
 **Saniwa: 4000 LP**

"The first turn is mine. Draw." Saniwa's staff glowed as he gave it a little wave. A card came out and floated with his other cards. "I summon a monster in face-down Defense Mode. Then I set one card face-down and end my turn." Pointing at each cards with his staff, he gave them a small flick, putting them where he wanted them to be.

"Whoa! That's awesome!" Judai said in awe.

"Aniki! This isn't the time to admire how someone duels!" Shou exclaimed.

"My turn! Draw!" Kohaku drew her next card. "Everyone~! Good afternoon~!" Her friends had the urge to anime fall at how she was taking the situation. "It is now time to start today's rather interesting duel~!"

"Are you taking our situation seriously?!" the sane ones of the group shouted.

Ignoring them, Kohaku continued her turn. "First off, let's summon out Circus Freak Beast Tamer~!" Appearing on her field was her lion/human hybrid.

 **Circus Freak Beast Tamer: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1700 ATK/1500 DEF**

"And, when he's on the field, I can Special Summon out his partner, Circus Freak Animal Trainer~!" Next to Beast Tamer was the chimera-human monster.

 **Circus Freak Animal Trainer: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/1800 ATK/1400 DEF**

"And now Battle! I attack your monster with Circus Freak Animal Trainer!" Her Special Summoned monster leapt into the air and swiped at his face-down. The card was flipped and a boy in black clothes appeared. He blocked the attack directed at him and knocked his opponent back to his duelist.

 **Gravekeeper's Spy: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/1200 ATK/2000 DEF**

 **Kohaku: 3800 LP**  
 **Saniwa: 4000 LP**

"With Gravekeeper's Spy's DEF points, your monster's attack is nothing to him," Saniwa said. "And, with his effect, I can Special Summon a 'Gravekeeper's' monster from my deck, so long as the ATK is 1500 or less." He looked to the side and called, "Shaman! Lend me your power!"

"That eager to take them out, I see. I suppose I've no choice," the elderly woman spoke. She dissipated and reappeared on the field in Defense Mode.

 **Gravekeeper's Shaman: Level 6/DARK/Spellcaster/1500 ATK/1500 DEF**

"He already summoned out a strong monster!" Shou panicked slightly.

"It's fine. Although her level is high, her DEF is still weaker than Beast Tamer," Hayato pointed out.

"I attack Shaman with Beast Tamer!" Kohaku continued. Her second monster went in to attack as ordered.

"From my hand, I activate Charm of Shabti's effect! This turn, if a 'Gravekeeper' monster is to be destroyed by battle, they are not destroyed!" A coffin for mummies appeared before Beast Tamer, causing him to cease his attempt to fight his opponent.

"Couldn't do much, huh. In that case, I end my turn."

"The moment you end your turn, I activate the Trap Card, Conscription!" Saniwa interrupted. "I excavate the top card of my opponent's deck. If the card is a monster that can be normal summoned or set, that monster comes to my field!" Hearing that shocked the non-Gravekeepers. "Ever since the last time I've met your kind, I decided to take a page out of your book and take what shouldn't be taken. Now show me your card!"

Kohaku drew her next card, grimaced, and revealed it.

"Oh no!" Seth gasped.

"Time Space Magician!" Jacko identified.

"Your monster will join me!" At Saniwa's words, Time Space Magician appeared on his field. Kohaku gritted her teeth as soon as she saw her friend on the opponent's field.

 **Circus Freak Time Space Magician: Level 7/DARK/Spellcaster/2500 ATK/2000 DEF**

"And now it's my turn. Draw." He drew his next card. He had on an evil smile on his face at the card he drew. "As I said before, you will not win! I activate the Magic card, Dual Summon! With this, I can Normal Summon twice this turn! I will release Gravekeeper's Spy to Advance Summon Gavekeeper's High Priest!" The anubis-like man stood from his spot and was transferred over to the field.

 **Gravekeeper's High Priest: Level 8/DARK/Spellcaster/2000 ATK/1800 DEF**

"Hang on! How can he summon it out?! You need two tributes for that!" Shou asked.

"That may be. But some cards with high level have an effect that bends the rule for Advance Summoning them," Asuka pointed out.

"High Priest's ability states that he can be Advance Summoned by releasing one 'Gravekeeper's' monster," Jacko informed.

"And that's not all," Alex continued. "High Priest gains 200 ATK for each 'Gravekeeper's' monster in the Graveyard, while Shaman gains 200 DEF." True to his words, the two monsters powered up.

 **Gravekeeper's Shaman: 1500 + 200 = 1700 DEF**

 **Gravekeeper's High Priest: 2000 + 200 = 2200 ATK**

"However, neither of them are staying on the field for long. Neither is Time Space Magician," Saniwa informed. "I will release all three of these monsters to Advance Summon myself!" To their shock, the three monsters on his field were gone and Saniwa himself entered the field.

 **Gravekeeper's Saniwa: Level 10/DARK/Spellcaster/2000 ATK/1500 DEF**

"His level is 10?!" Tiffany gasped.

"No wonder why he's the leader," Bella said. "And with a level that high, he must have a frightening effect."

"Indeed I do. Depending on the number of 'Gravekeeper's' monster used for my summon, I can use my three effects! Since I used two, two of my effects can activate!" Saniwa said. "First, I gain 100 ATK times the total level of monsters used for my summon!"

"Gravekeeper's Shaman and High Priest are Levels six and eight, respectively. Adding Circus Freak Time Space Magician's Level 7, that's a total of 21 levels," Jacko calculated.

"So that means... his ATK is now 4100!" Alex said, as Saniwa had a powerful aura around him.

 **Gravekeeper's Saniwa: 2000 + 2100 = 4100 ATK**

"That's right. And for my second effect, all monsters my opponent controls loses 2000 ATK and DEF!" Everyone gasped as Kohaku's monsters went on their knees, losing all of their power.

 **Circus Freak Beast Tamer: 1700 - 2000 = 0 ATK/1500 - 2000 = 0 DEF**

 **Circus Freak Animal Trainer: 1800 - 2000 = 0 ATK/1400 - 2000 = 0 DEF**

"Now he has enough power to defeat Kohaku!" Shou panicked.

"It's over for you! I will attack Circus Freak Beast Tamer! **Oraculus Sanctum!** " His staff glowed quite brightly, as he prepared his attack to end Kohaku.

"I won't let you! I activate Circus Freak Ventriloquism's effect from my hand!" she countered. "By discarding this card from my Graveyard, I can draw one card from my deck! If the card is a monster, I can Special Summon it! If it's a Magic or a Trap card, I can activate it! And, once Ventriloquism starts his show, nothing can stop him."

"What?!"

"Depending on the card drawn, Kohaku might be able to turn this around," Asuka said.

"Draw!" The female Ra drew her card. "I drew the Trap card, Miraculous Stunt! A 'Circus Freak' monster I control cannot be destroyed this turn!"

"However, you still take damage!" Saniwa pointed out.

"True, but the damage I'll take is cut in half!" A barrier appeared before Beast Tamer, protecting him from destruction and lessening the damage Kohaku would've taken.

 **Kohaku: 1750 LP**  
 **Saniwa: 4000 LP**

"I will commend you for surviving this turn. But a miracle can only happen once! I set one card face-down and end my turn!" Saniwa ended.

In the sidelines, everyone sighed in relief at the miracle.

"That was too close," Tiffany said.

"She almost lost in one turn," Hayato said.

"Well, we should be glad Kohaku hasn't lost yet-nya," Daitokuji pointed out.

"My turn! Draw!" Kohaku drew her next card. "I switch Beast Tamer and Animal Trainer to Defense Mode! Next I set a monster in Defense Mode! I set two cards face-down and end my turn!"

"My turn! Draw!" Saniwa drew his next card. "I activate my Trap card, Jar of Greed to draw an additional card!" He drew his next card. "And I activate the Magic card, Pot of Greed, to draw two more cards!" He drew more cards. "And now I will summon out my daughter, Gravekeeper's Priestess!" Appearing on his field was a familiar girl Kohaku met earlier.

 **Gravekeeper's Priestess: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1000 ATK/1500 DEF**

"It's you! From earlier!" she gasped.

"I told you to hurry and leave..." Priestess muttered.

This didn't go unnoticed by Saniwa. "Daughter. After this duel, we will speak about how you tried to hide these Graverobbers."

"But father! These people had done nothing wrong!"

"SILENCE!" Everyone jumped at how loud his voice suddenly got. "You will do as I say." Priestess looked down in shame. "With Gravekeeper's Priestess on the field, all 'Gravekeeper's' monsters gains 200 ATK and DEF."

 **Gravekeeper's Saniwa: 4100 + 200 = 4300 ATK/1500 + 200 = 1700 DEF**

 **Gravekeeper's Priestess: 1000 + 200 = 1200 ATK/1500 + 200 = 1700 DEF**

"And I activate the Continuous Magic, Shrine of the Necrovalley!" The field changed and it seemed more like the group was at a shrine.

"What's going on here?" Alex dared to ask.

"Now I will declare battle! Reveal your monster! **Oraculus Sanctum!** " He shot out another blast of light, this time at Kohaku's face-down monster. The monster flipped and revealed it to be Circus Freak Trapeze Artist, who got destroyed by the blast.

"Circus Freak Trapeze Artist's effect! When destroyed by battle, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower 'Circus Freak' monster from my deck!" Kohaku said.

"With two 'Circus Freak' monsters already on the field, if she summons out Circus Freak Trampoline, Saniwa's field will be wide open!" Judai said. "Kohaku will have a chance to win!"

Saniwa simply laughed at this. "Do you really think I'll make it that easy for you?" The humans grew confused at this. "I activate the Shrine of Necrovalley's effect! Unless if the monster is a 'Gravekeeper's' monster, no monsters can be Special Summoned!"

"Eh?! Then that means..." Shou began.

"Kohaku-san can't Special Summon, unless if that card is gone," Seth said.

The girl slightly grimaced at the counter.

"Now my daughter, destroy one of her monsters! **Miko Bullet!** " Saniwa ordered.

"My apologies," Priestess spoke, sending a light bullet from her staff to Beast Tamer, easily destroying him.

"I set one card face-down and end my turn!"

"Draw!" Kohaku drew her next card.

"Trap card open! Necromacy Ritual!" Her opponent interrupted. "With this card I can Special Summon a 'Gravekeeper's' monster from my Graveyard! I will bring back Gravekeeper's Shaman!" The elderly woman came back to his field.

 **Gravekeeper's Shaman: 1500 + 200 = 1700 ATK/1500 + 200 + 200 x 2 = 1700 + 400 = 2100 DEF**

"Also, while she's on the field, my opponent cannot activate Field Magic cards while 'Necrovalley' is on the field!"

Hearing that part confused the group.

"Necrovalley? But you don't have it on the field," Kohaku pointed out.

"While I'm on the field, if there are no Field Magic cards, I treat the field as Necrovalley," Priestess explained. The explanation shocked them.

Kohaku looked down at the two cards in her hand, Circus Show being one of them and the one card she drew out. The other card in her hand... "I activate the Magic card, Perform Assistance! For each 'Circus Freak' monster on the field, I can put a Circus Counter on any card on the field!"

"Circus Counter?" Priestess repeated in a confused and slightly interested tone.

"Whatever you have planned, it won't work!" Saniwa said.

"Don't say that. And the place for the counter to go to is Animal Trainer!" A gold star appeared on Animal Trainer's jacket. "And with this short preparation, I will end my turn here."

"Huh?! That's it?!" Shou gasped.

"That can't be," Seth said.

"With her Special Summon specialty blocked off, and the fact that she can't use her Field Magic, Kohaku's chance of winning has gone down," Jacko said.

"It's okay," Tiffany said. "Kohaku's a performer. No matter how tough the obstacle, she will definitely surpass it!"

"Tiffany's right. Besides, this is my rival we're talking about," Alex agreed. "If she lose here, then there's no point in calling her my rival in the first place."

"I don't know if you're cheering her on as a duelist when you both say that," Asuka said with a sweat drop.

"My turn. Draw." Saniwa drew his next card. "And now it is over for you! I switch Shaman back to Attack Mode and have my daughter attack your useless monster! **Miko Bullet!** "

Against her will, Priestess raised her staff and shot out another light bullet at Animal trainer.

"I thought I said I won't let a show end like this! Trap card open! Performaway!" Kohaku countered. "For each Circus Counter on the field, I return one card on the field back to the owner's hand!"

"I activate my Counter Trap, Royal Tomb of Necrovalley! This card negates the activation of a Magic, Trap or a monster effect so long as there's a 'Gravekeeper's' monster and Necrovalley on the field!" Saniwa countered back, as his face-down card flipped and destroyed Kohaku's revealed face-down.

"That's the one card that can turn this around too!" Hayato exclaimed.

"Now continue my daughter!" At the Level 10 monster's command, Priestess continued her attack at Animal Trainer. Her attack hit, causing smoke to rise up. "With me, Shaman!" At his next command, he and the Level 6 monster charged up their attacks and fired at Kohaku.

"Kohaku!" all her friends cried out in worry.

Priestess was lightly shedding tears, not believing she had actually witnessed someone die before her eyes.

"Judgement has been laid upon," Saniwa simply said. "And now... for the rest of you."

"Hang on a second!" they all heard, to their shock. "Who said this duel is over?"

"What?" They all looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. "Where are you?!"

Alex looked up at the statues and saw a figure on top of each of them. "Hey! Up there!"

Everyone else looked up and were shocked at the figures on top.

" _Hi~!_ " Kohaku waved, along with Animal Trainer.

"You... When did you?!" Saniwa demanded.

"Surely you didn't think a performer wouldn't be prepared for a counter." A card appeared before Kohaku's side. "Continuous Trap, Another Act! By removing a Circus Counter and a 'Circus Freak' monster from my Graveyard from play, like Trapeze Artist, I can activate a Magic or a Trap card from either of our Graveyard! The card I activated was Miraculous Stunt! Meaning Animal Trainer was never destroyed to begin with~!"

To say that Saniwa was shocked would be an understatement, despite not showing it. Never had he seen such a counter before.

"I end my turn," he ended.

"Then it's my turn. Draw!" Kohaku drew her next card. "I summon Circus Freak Juggler in Defense Mode!" Her juggling monster appeared on the field.

 **Circus Freak Juggler: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1600 ATK/1000 DEF**

"And when he's summoned this way, he gains a Circus Counter! And for each counter on him, he gains 200 ATK!" A ball appeared in his hand as he started to juggle it.

 **Circus Freak Juggler: 1600 + 200 = 1800 ATK**

"And at this time, I activate Another Act's effect! By removing Juggler's Circus Counter and Circus Freak Beast Tamer from my Graveyard, I can activate a Magic or a Trap card from either of our Graveyard! The one I'm activating is Perform Assistance! Give Juggler more counters~!" Her recently summoned monster tossed his ball in the air. It glowed and split in two, giving the juggling monkey two balls to juggle.

 **Circus Freak Juggler: 1800 + 200 = 2000 ATK**

"But there's no point in increasing its power if it's in Defense Mode," Tiffany pointed out.

"Except it's not the power she wants; it's what's giving him the power," Alex corrected.

"He's right. So long as she has Circus Counters, she can keep using Another Act's effect and protect her monster," Jacko supported.

"I told you before right? You can't predict how a show will go," Kohaku said, ending her turn.

Saniwa didn't seem to want to believe in her words and started his turn. "Draw!" He drew more cards. "I summon Gravekeeper's Summoner!" A monk-like monster appeared on the field.

 **Gravekeeper's Summoner: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1200 + 200 = 1400 ATK/1500 + 200 = 1700 DEF**

"Battle! I will attack Circus Freak Juggler myself! **Oraculus Sanctum!** " He fired his signature attack at his new target.

"Using Another Act's effect, I'll remove a Circus Counter and Circus Freak Ventriloquism from my Graveyard to activate Miraculous Stunt and protect Juggler!" One of Juggler's balls left his hand and became a shield, blocking the attack.

 **Circus Freak Juggler: 2000 - 200 = 1800 ATK**

"I will end my turn."

"He's not going to keep attacking?" Shou wondered.

"That's because there are two conditions that have to be met in order to use Another Act's effect; Circus Counters and 'Circus Freak' monsters in Kohaku's Graveyard. If he keeps attacking, he would be giving Kohaku more opportunities to activate her trap card's effect," Judai explained.

"Draw!" Kohaku drew her next card. "At this time, I activate Juggler's second effect! During my Standby Phase, he gains another Circus Counter!" Juggler shook his hand for a few seconds, and a ball appeared.

 **Circus Freak Juggler: 1800 + 200 = 2000 ATK**

"And I will set one card face-down and end my turn!"

"My turn! Draw!" Saniwa drew another card.

"At this time, I activate my trap card, Grand Blastoff! Let's brighten up the field a little, Animal Trainer!" The monster nodded at her words and, as a cannon appeared by her side, leapt inside. "Now then, three... two... one... Blastoff!" She pulled the trigger and her monster was shot out, flying above her opponent's heads. He exploded into fireworks, putting the Gravekeeper's on the field and in the sidelines in awe.

 **Kohaku: 1750 LP**  
 **Saniwa: 2200 LP**

Well, rather than awe, Saniwa seemed to be in a struggle for some reason. He shook his head and continued his turn. "I activate the Magic card, Allure of Darkness! I draw two cards from my deck and banish one DARK monster from my hand!" He drew more cards. "I banish Gravekeeper's Commandant! And summon Gravekeeper's Cannonholder!" A man with a cannon-like weapon appeared on the field.

 **Gravekeeper's Cannonholder: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/1400 + 200 = 1600 ATK/1200 + 200 = 1400 DEF**

"If I can't take you down through battle, then try and survive through this effect! I activate Cannonholder's effect! Releasing Summoner to inflict 700 damage to you!" Summoner turned into a cannon ball and was inserted into the weapon.

"Through Another Act's effect, by sending away Juggler's Circus Counter and Circus Freak Animal Trainer from my Graveyard for Miraculous Stunt, I prevent Juggler's destruction, and any damage I take through Battle Damage involving him and effect damage in general is cut in half!"

 **Kohaku: 1400 LP**  
 **Saniwa: 2200 LP**

"When Summoner is sent to the Graveyard, I can add a 'Gravekeeper's' monster with 1500 or less DEF from my deck to my hand. I add Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier to my hand. Also, because another 'Gravekeeper's' monster was sent to the Graveyard, Shaman gains 200 more DEF."

 **Gravekeeper's Shaman: 2100 + 200 = 2300 DEF**

"I end my turn."

"My turn! Draw!" Kohaku drew her next card. "And Juggler gains another Counter!"

 **Circus Freak Juggler: 2000 + 200 = 2200 ATK**

"I summon Circus Freak Contact Juggler in Defense Mode! And end my turn!"

"Draw!" Saniwa drew his next card. "I summon Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier!" One of his men in the sidelines appeared on the field.

 **Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/1500 ATK/1000 DEF**

"And I will have him attack Juggler!" Saniwa's newly summoned monster charged at his opponent.

"With Another Act's effect, I will remove Circus Freak Time Space Magician from my Graveyard and Juggler's Counter! Again, Miraculous Act!" Kohaku countered.

 **Circus Freak Juggler: 2200 - 200 = 2000 ATK**

 **Kohaku: 1150 LP**  
 **Saniwa: 2200 LP**

"Huh?" Shou spoke.

"What's wrong, Shou?" Hayato asked.

"It's just... Kohaku has Performaway in her Graveyard. Why isn't she using it through Another Act's effect?" Everyone else realized that what he said was true. Kohaku could just use the effect to send Saniwa and Priestess back to the hand and not deal with having a lockdown, in terms of her being able to summon out stronger monsters that is and being able to end the duel.

"It's because that's not how she duels," Alex replied, having everyone to turn to him. "Back when she used Grand Blastoff, she didn't use it to inflict damage to him. She did it to see what dueling is like for them. All of them." He looked around at the other Gravekeeper's. "And after seeing their reaction, she knew she can't just win, with them thinking that duels are nothing but trials and rituals."

"That does sound like her," Bella agreed.

"In that case I will activate Cannonholder's effect! Sending Spear Soldier to the Graveyard to deal 700 points of damage to you!" The next victim of the effect turned into a cannon ball, as the holder of the weapon fired at Kohaku.

"With Miraculous Stunt's effect, I only take half the damage!" Kohaku reminded.

 **Kohaku: 800 LP**  
 **Saniwa: 2200 LP**

 **Gravekeeper's Shaman: 2300 + 200 = 2500 DEF**

"I set one card face-down and end my turn!" Saniwa ended. "Just a little bit more. Soon, you will lose and you and your friends will face judgement by my hands!"

"Judgement, judgement. Do you ever talk about something else other than that?" Kohaku asked. "Dueling isn't about trials or punishments. They can be fun! I duel to bring smiles to everyone's face! To let everyone have fun! Even if one of them is my opponent who wants to inflict pain onto others!"

"Don't be ridiculous! How can this trial be at all fun?!"

"If you don't understand through words, then just watch!" Kohaku placed a hand on her deck. "My... turn!" She drew her next card and looked at it. "It's here." On cue, somehow, the room darkened and there was a spotlight on Kohaku. " _Hola~! Bonjour~! Hello, everybody~!_ " While the Duel Academia group were slightly excited to see what kind of comeback she had in store, the 'Gravekeeper's' all had looks of confusion on their faces. "We've finally reached the grand climax of this show!"

"Climax?" Saniwa repeated in a confused and questioned tone.

"First, during my Standby Phase, Circus Freak Juggler gains yet another counter~!"

 **Circus Freak Juggler: 2000 + 200 = 2200 ATK**

"Next, let's have some more preparations. With the Magic card, Circus Shuffler~! With this card, I can send 'Circus Freak' monsters from my Banish Zone back into my deck~! So come back, guys!" Spirits of Circus Freak Beast Tamer, Animal Trainer, Ventriloquism, Trapeze Artist, and Time Space Magician appeared. They then became beams of light as they flew around the field, giving everyone a wonderful sight to behold before they went back in Kohaku's deck. "After these magnificent performers return to the deck on standby, I get to draw cards for each one returned plus one! Five monsters returned, so I draw six cards!" She drew more cards, bringing her hand to seven.

"Now her chance went up!" Seth said.

"But there's still that Continuous Magic card," Jacko reminded.

"And now, I will summon Circus Freak Unicycler~!" Her unicycle-riding clown appeared on the field.

 **Circus Freak Unicycler: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/1400 ATK/1800 DEF**

"You fool! In the end, you summoned out a weak monster!" Saniwa claimed.

"Huh? Don't be like that. And besides, aren't you getting a bit too tense?" Kohaku asked. "Let's all have some fun~! Let's start with the kind princess~"

"Huh? Me?" Priestess asked.

"Yes! Through Unicycler's effect, I can target one card on the field and negate that monster's effect! After that, they get a Circus Counter!" Unicycler created another unicycle and tossed it at her. Mechanical hands came out and grabbed her, forcing her on it, much to her surprise as the wheel... wheeled her away from the group.

"Father!" she cried out.

"My daughter!" he cried back.

Priestess was getting a bit scared, suddenly traveling so fast. Unicycler came by her side and helped her overcome her fear, showing her how fun it is to ride on it without a single care in the world. Seeing how much fun he's having brought a smile on her face, her fear fading away. She then, with the help of the robotic hands, slowly stood on the seat just like Unicycler is doing. When she was about to lose her balance, either the hands helped her keep her balance, or Unicycler does it himself.

"Priestess! What are you doing?! Stop that madness this instance!" Saniwa ordered. His words couldn't be reached, and Shrine of the Necrovalley was dissipating away and all boost given to them by Priestess wore off the 'Gravekeeper's'.

 **Gravekeeper's Shaman: 1700 - 200 = 1500 ATK/2500 - 200 = 2300 DEF**

 **Gravekeeper's Cannonholder: 1600 - 200 = 1400 ATK/1400 - 200 = 1200 DEF**

 **Gravekeeper's Priestess: 1200 - 200 = 1000 ATK/1700 - 200 = 1500 DEF**

 **Gravekeeper's Saniwa: 4300 - 200 = 4100 ATK/1700 - 200 = 1500 DEF**

"Well, there's something you certainly don't see everyday," Shaman commented, a small smile forming on her face.

"What happened to the field?" Tiffany asked.

"Looks like the only way for Shrine of the Necrovalley to stay on the field is if Necrovalley is on the field," Bella said. "That being said, Kohaku can now Special Summon as much as she wants."

"That's not all. If the field isn't Necrovalley, Kohaku-san can use her favorite field!" Seth added.

"That's right!" the girl in question said. "That being said, let's change the field! Circus Show activate!" Now the field became one favorable for her monsters. Being the first time to see such a new field, the Gravekeeper's couldn't help but be confused at the new sight.

"And just how is this new field ever going to help you?!" Saniwa demanded.

"Nothing as of yet. But now, let's summon out some more of our allies~! From my hand, I activate the Magic card, Acrobalance! This card allows to me to perform a Fusion Summon using monsters in my hand or field! Let's use this effect to fuse Circus Freak Juggler and Contact Juggler~! Twin jugglers to perform differently, set aside your differences and bring your skill to a new level! FUSION SUMMON! Appear now, great master juggler! Circus Freak Grand Juggler!" A four-armed monkey in jester clothes appeared on the field.

 **Circus Freak Grand Juggler: Level 6/DARK/Spellcaster/2200 ATK/1800 DEF**

"And when he is summoned, he gains all his Fusion Materials' Circus Counters!" Three balls appeared in his hand as he started to juggle them. "Not only that, but since Circus Freak Juggler left the field while he had Circus Counters, my opponent takes 200 points of damage for each one!" The balls glowed as Grand Juggler kept juggling them. He then tossed them into the air above Saniwa's field. They exploded, covering their field in white smoke.

 **Kohaku: 800 LP**  
 **Saniwa: 1600 LP**

As soon as the smoke faded away, the dueling 'Gravekeeper's' all wore performer clothes.

"Wha-...? What is this?!" the leader of the group demanded.

"It is when a 'Circus Freak' monster is summoned that Circus Show's effect activates! It gains a Circus Counter and, for each counter it gains, monsters my opponent controls loses 200 ATK!" Kohaku explained.

 **Gravekeeper's Shaman: 1500 - 200 = 1300 ATK**

 **Gravekeeper's Cannonholder: 1400 - 200 = 1200 ATK**

 **Gravekeeper's Priestess: 1000 - 200 = 800 ATK**

 **Gravekeeper's Saniwa: 4100 - 200 = 3900 ATK**

"And I'm not done yet! From my hand, I activate Circus Freak Ventriloquism's effect again!" She revealed the card and discarded it. "Now then everyone! Let's see what the next card is!" Kohaku drew the top card and revealed it. "The card I drew out was Circus Freak Copycat! And since he's a monster card, I will Special Summon him!" The circus-version of Copycat appeared on the field.

 **Circus Freak Copycat: Level 1/DARK/Spellcaster/0 ATK/0 DEF**

"With another 'Circus Freak' monster summoned, a second counter is placed on Circus Show! And you know what that means~!" Each of the 'Gravekeeper's' monsters had on a had of some sort.

 **Gravekeeper's Shaman: 1300 - 200 = 1100 ATK**

 **Gravekeeper's Cannonholder: 1200 - 200 = 1000 ATK**

 **Gravekeeper's Priestess: 800 - 200 = 600 ATK**

 **Gravekeeper's Saniwa: 3900 - 200 = 3700 ATK**

"Next, I activate the Magic card, Double Performance! This is also a Fusion card! And through it I will fuse Circus Freak Flame Artist from my hand with Circus Freak Copycat on my field as Circus Freak Flame Archer! Two performers who play with the flames. Become one and bring your fiery show to a whole new level! FUSION SUMMON! Appear now, dancing performer of the flames! Circus Freak Fire Dancer!" A street dancer-looking monster whose clothes are on fire appeared on the field.

 **Circus Freak Fire Dancer: Level 5/DARK/Spellcaster/1500 ATK/2400 DEF**

"And with another monster summoned, that's another counter!" Now they each had on some silly shoes.

 **Gravekeeper's Shaman: 1100 - 200 = 900 ATK**

 **Gravekeeper's Cannonholder: 1000 - 200 = 800 ATK**

 **Gravekeeper's Priestess: 600 - 200 = 400 ATK**

 **Gravekeeper's Saniwa: 3700 - 200 = 3500 ATK**

"One of his monsters ATK is low enough to end this duel!" Shou said.

"But Kohaku isn't done yet," Judai told him, already knowing the female Ra's strategy.

"And now, since I have a 'Circus Freak' monster, I special summon Circus Freak Assistant!" The assistant clown appeared on Kohaku's field. At the same time, her opponents

 **Circus Freak Assistant: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1000 ATK/1000 DEF**

"At this time, his effect activates! For each empty Monster Zone on either side of the field, I get to draw an additional card. There's one empty Monster Zone on each field, so I get to draw two cards!" Kohaku drew two more cards and looked at them. "And now I activate the Instant Magic, Fusion Cancel! I can return a Fusion Monster back to the Extra Deck and Special Summon its Fusion Materials back from the Graveyard! Time to split, Fire Dancer!"

The dancing Fusion Monster did some moves, as the flames on his clothes started to spread about. Once he was completely covered in flames, he leapt into the air and somersaulted. Upon landing, he split, and the flames dissipated to reveal Circus Freak Copycat and Flame Artist in his place.

 **Circus Freak Flame Artist: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/1600 ATK/1400 DEF**

"And, since two monsters are summoned, _it's time for a full dress up~_!" Kohaku declared. At those words, bowties appeared around the opposing monster's necks and their weapons were replaced with dancing cane or a big bowling pin, in Cannonholder's case for the latter.

 **Gravekeeper's Shaman: 900 - 400 = 500 ATK**

 **Gravekeeper's Cannonholder: 800 - 400 = 400 ATK**

 **Gravekeeper's Priestess: 400 - 400 = 0 ATK**

 **Gravekeeper's Saniwa: 3500 - 400 = 3100 ATK**

"This... This is..." Saniwa began to stutter.

"Hmm... Something is missing here..." Kohaku said, placing a finger under her chin. Realization hit her as she placed her fist in her palm. "Now I know!" The girl then waved her arm, causing it to sparkle somehow. She flicked at the direction of the 'audience', changing them in circus or performers' clothes as well.

"Nya?! Our clothes-nya?!" Daitokuji gasped, dressed as a cat.

"Sometimes Kohaku is a bit scary," Jacko said, in a creepy clown outfit, with some make-up on his face to make a scary clown face.

"You're the one who's scary!" Shou, Hayato and Seth claimed, the former dressed as a jester, the middle as a magician, and the latter also as a clown, only more friendly-looking.

"Why did she put me in this?!" Asuka demanded, dressed in a not-so-revealing bunny girl outfit.

"I think this is cool!" Judai said, dressed as a human cannonball with a cape on him.

"Well, I suppose this is to be expected," Bella said, in a ninja outfit.

"It wouldn't be Kohaku if she didn't," Alex pointed out, dressed as a ringmaster.

"End this with a bang, Kohaku!" Tiffany cheered, in a performer's clothes.

"And now... _It's time for the Grand Finale~!_ " At those words from her mouth, Kohaku's friends started to cheer for her. Not only that, little by little, the Gravekeeper's monsters around them were also starting to get excited. "Feast your eyes, ladies and gentlemen, for the grand climax~! I activate the Instant Magic, Grand Act! With this card, I banish monsters on my field or in my Graveyard to Fusion Summon a 'Circus Freak' Fusion Monster! With Copycat as Circus Freak Time Space Magician, I use him, Circus Freak Grand Juggler, Circus Freak Flame Artist, and Circus Freak Unicycler to fuse! Performer of time and space, accept the assistance of your allies and become the new light that vanquishes the evil darkness! FUSION SUMMON! Appear now, arcane magician with ancient powers! Circus Freak Rune Magician!" Kohaku's multi-attacker Fusion Monster appeared on the field.

 **Circus Freak Rune Magician: Level 8/DARK/Spellcaster/3000 ATK/2200 DEF**

"And with another monster summoned, that's another counter for Circus Show~!" Saniwa winced, not wanting to be any more ridicules than he already was. "Is what I want to say but, Circus Show can only hold five Circus Counters."

Saniwa sighed. As he did so, he noticed he didn't do it out of relief, but disappointment. ' _Why am I disappointed? I should be happy. No, even if this field would have any more of those troublesome counters, it doesn't change the fact that that girl can just attack my subordinates and still win the duel. Yet, why?_ '

"But, don't be disappointed just yet! Because the show has yet to end! The monster summoned through Grand Act's effect gains 400 ATK for each of its materials! Rune Magician used 4 materials, so his ATK goes up by 1600! And since he was Fusion Summoned, he gains Circus Counters from his materials!" As three rings appeared on his staff, Rune Magician's power increased.

 **Circus Freak Rune Magician: 3000 + 1600 = 4600 ATK**

"And next, I activate Circus Show's final effect! If this card has five Circus Counters, I can destroy this card destroy all cards on my opponents field!"

"What?!" Saniwa gasped. The field then sparkled all over. All the items were flying around the Gravekeeper's, who felt themselves leaving the ground and exiting the field to the sidelines, with Saniwa returning to the duelist zone, as well as everyone's clothes returning to normal.

"With our guest stars gone, all the counters that were on Circus Show goes to a face-up card of my choice! That's none other than Rune Magician!" Five more rings appeared on his staff. "But, unfortunately, once I use this effect, I cannot declare the battle phase. So much for going off with a big bang." She pouted as she said the last sentence. Everyone sweat dropped at her personality. Her pout was quickly replaced with a smirk. "In that case, we'll end this show flashily~! During my End Phase, I activate Rune Magician's effect! For each Circus Counter on it, 200 points of damage are inflicted onto my opponent! **Flashy** **Arcane Shot!** " Her Fusion Monster changed his staff into a bow and pulled back the string, forming an arrow made of light energy. He aimed it at the air and shot, leaving a pretty trail of light. Once it reached the highest point, the arrow exploded, creating a firework. The flares that came from it also exploded, bringing the audience in great awe.

As he watched the sight before him, Saniwa felt something he hadn't felt in years in his chest, as a smile formed on his face.

 **Kohaku: 800 LP**  
 **Saniwa: 0000 LP**

 **WINNER: KOHAKU!**

The duel ended at last. Kohaku sighed, as it was the probably the hardest show she had ever done since she started dueling.

"Nice going, Kohaku-san!" Seth cheered.

"Now that's how you duel!" Judai said.

"That was amazing! I've never seen anything like it!" Priestess shouted.

At the crowds' applause and cheers, Kohaku simply smiled and waved at them.

' _At least I was able to move their hearts,_ ' she thought.

She heard footsteps approaching her and turned to see Saniwa with a blank look on her face.

By then, one of the Gravekeeper's seemed to have realized something. "Wait a second! That girl defeated our leader!"

At his words, everyone else came to that realization and immediately changed their persona. Kohaku and her friends realized this and distanced themselves away from them.

Priestess seemed to be the only monster who was trying to stop them. "Stop, everyone! That trial ended fair and square! There's no need for further violence!"

"It's too dangerous, princess," the cloaked woman from earlier warned, holding her back as to protect her from the upcoming harm.

Shaman looked at Saniwa, as he was the only one who can stop the upcoming madness, if he wanted to.

All the other Gravekeeper's continued to slowly advance closer to the duelists, who kept moving back.

"Stand down, you fools!" came Saniwa's shout. At his voice, the men ceased their advance and looked over at their leader. The humans did the same. Saniwa had his eyes shadowed, as he advanced towards them himself, mainly to Kohaku.

Fearing the worse for them, Priestess shouted, "You guys! Hurry up and run! You have to run! Now!"

Saniwa stood before Kohaku, who looked up at him, trying to keep a calm face. He slightly raised his staff, which made his daughter cry out louder for them to run.

"... Take this," he spoke, much to their shock and confusion.

"M-Milord?!"

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Aren't you going to give them judgement?!"

"Silence!" The Gravekeeper's kept their mouths shut at his voice. "You've all seen the results! There's no need for judgement to be placed upon these people! Rather, there's no need for judgement to be placed ever!" They were all shocked to hear those words from their leader's lips.

Priestess felt a smile form as she heard those words. "Father..."

"As this human has shown me, not all graverobbers are who we assume them to be! Unlike the ones we saw who thought of nothing but themselves and power, this human cared for many and passed the trial without relying on strength! For such beings to exist, as your lord, I withdraw the law to put judgement on outsiders!" Everyone was shocked to hear those words. Some were happy to hear that he has lifted the law.

Saniwa turned to Kohaku. "As proof of passing my trial, as well as thanks for opening my eyes to the truth, human, I ask you to accept my staff."

Kohaku smiled and accepted the item, which transformed into a pendant. "Whoa, cool." She put it around her neck.

"Nice going, Kohaku!" Tiffany congratulated.

"You saved us and got a nice necklace!" Jacko said.

"And now, I believe it is time for you all to leave," Saniwa told them.

"But how?" Shou asked. "The three lights must've already overlapped during that duel."

The lord of the Gravekeeper's looked to the side. "Visionary."

Everyone turned to where he was looking and saw the called Graveskeeper by the corner.

"When did he?!" Bella gasped in shock.

"Excuse me," Priestess called, causing everyone to turn to her direction. "If you do return to your world, I hope to see you all again someday."

Kohaku smiled at her words. "Of course! And when we do, we should have a fun duel some time!"

The princess of the Gravekeeper's smiled at those words.

Visionary silently walked over to them. He raised his staff, causing it to glow blindingly bright, causing everyone to cover their eyes.

* * *

Birds were heard chirping, as Kohaku slowly opened her eyes.

"Huh? What...?" She looked around and saw everyone around her was lying on the floor or against a ruin, asleep. "Was that a dream? But I don't remember falling asleep." Her eyes then laid on two sleeping duelists, causing her to cover her mouth before her laughter was heard. Sleeping against one piece of ruin were Asuka and Judai, the former leaning her head against the latter's shoulder. "I feel so evil~" she whispered, taking a quick picture of the scene. "But still... was that a dream?" She looked down for a second and saw a familiar pendant around her neck. "This is... So that was real! Whoa!"


	33. New Enemies: Riders vs Relics

**Coral: Okay. In this chapter, I had some help. Okay that's a lie. More than half this chapter, rather the duel and what happens in it, was already done by another reader, who is a creator of a pair of OCs who will appear in this chapter. One of those said OCs will play a big part in the story. Somewhat that is. But he plays a major role indeed! That being said, do enjoy the chapter~!**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 ** _*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*_**

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

 _ ***OPENING***_

 ** _(Instrumental)_** _(_ _The scene begins with a nice top view of the island_ _)_

 ** _To the beginning sky... towards the shining light  
_** _(The camera looks up to the sky, having a nice view of it and the sun as the anime logo slowly appeared)  
_ ** _There's nothing to fear... because I'm here..._** _  
(Freakstar Dragon with Naruto on his back and Time Space Magician flew pass the logo the Spellcaster-type shined the crystal ball on his staff, changing the scene)_

 ** _Falling countless times to your knees_** _  
_ ** _Not protecting your own pride  
_** _(Kohaku slipped on a banana peel and was laughed at by many students. She laughed along with them)  
_ ** _Only coming up with just doubts_** _  
_ ** _Do not close your eyes just yet  
_** _(Alex and Bella looked at the scene in slight envy at how she was, in a way, getting along with many others despite her being in Red and daughter of a famous circus' ringmaster and walked their separate ways)_

 ** _I absolutely cannot see  
_** ** _the possibility that's here and now  
_** _(Judai was imagining himself as the next King of Games. Manjoume and his friends along with Chronos glared at how impossible it would be for him while Misawa, Shou and Hayato looked at him with interest or slight admiration)  
_ ** _When these tears turn into rain  
_** ** _I just want you to notice_** _  
(Asuka and Ryou were at the entrance of the Abandon Dorm and stared at a picture of the latter's brother with determination)_

 ** _Spit out all the vexing things  
_** ** _Because there's a meaning for taking things  
_** _(Bella was remembering the time when she was younger, getting bullied and being isolated by others because of her powers. Her patience went to her limit as she accidentally summoned a monster and released it onto them)  
_ ** _Even if you desire everything, you don't need to grasp it all  
_** _(_ _Alex was remembering when he was accepted into Duel Academy and told the principal that he wished to start at the lowest rank, just to be bullied by those of a higher rank_ _)  
_ ** _Just keep a hold of one most important thing_** _  
(Kohaku placed her hands on their shoulders and snapped them out of the memory lane and smiled at them then pushed them to the rest of their friends)_

 ** _In the beginning of the sky, I welcome you  
_** ** _do not ever look back just look forward  
_** _(Judai had out Flame Wingman, who fought against Chronos' Antique Gear Golem and Asuka's Cyber Blader, as Kohaku had out Time Space Magician, who was going head-to-head against Alex's Light and Darkness Dragon and Bella's Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama)  
_ ** _If you feel the wind on your back  
_** ** _then there won't be anything to worry about_** _  
(Shou and his monsters were looking at his brother and his monsters with determination, who smirked in approval, causing the younger sibling to smile back)_

 ** _If you would look around, you'd see all these smiling faces  
_** _(In another realm, it showed all of Kohaku, Bella, Alex, Judai, Shou, Hayato, and Asuka's monsters smiling at the camera)  
_ ** _Do not carry everything by yourself  
_** _(Kohaku was looking at her late sister's deck in her hand with a solemn look, the deck's monster spirits floating right by her side)  
_ ** _Don't rush either, the answer is along the way  
_** _(The scene turned dark and the whole gang were running towards the light)  
_ ** _you'll definitely find it for sure_** _  
(They arrived at a lighthouse, looking up at the night sky)_

* * *

It's been a while since the school duel. Manjoume, to his demise, was stuck as an Osiris Red for the time being.

Currently, the students were in school, taking their lessons. For one certain class, they were waiting for their teacher in the dueling stadium, who was unusually late.

"Hey, Kohaku. Where's your dad?" Judai asked.

"Is he sick?" Shou followed.

"Truth is, I actually don't know," the 'Circus Freak' duelist answered, to her friends' confusion. "I haven't seen him since he went out last night. Said something about getting a call from someone who wanted to meet him in private."

"And he didn't come back?" Hayato asked.

"Apparently not, if he's this late."

"Maybe he was up all night," Asuka spoke.

"But even so..."

Kohaku was trailed off as she saw her mother entered the room. "Professor Kigara isn't feeling well today, so for Action Duel lesson today, we will go over what you've learned so far."

"How boring," Manjoume scoffed. "I don't see the point in taking this lesson. Besides, I dueled on the field."

Kate overheard what he just said. "Is that so, Manjoume? In that case, please explain to the class what Action cards are in full. While you're at it, list the advantages and disadvantages in having these cards."

The question caught him slightly off guard. He regained his composure and answered the question. "There are two types of Action cards: magic and trap. They are spread all over the field at the beginning of an Action Duel. Action Magic are the advantages, giving monsters more power or makes them indestructible in battle, while traps are the disadvantages, decreasing a monster's power, making them more vulnerable to attacks."

"Wow. You really do know your Action Cards." The former Obelisk Blue felt prideful. "Too bad it wasn't entirely correct." And there goes the pride.

"What?! What do you mean?! Those are exactly what Action Cards are!"

"To an extent."

Before Manjoume could argue any further, Kohaku explained more about Action cards. "You can only hold one Action card in your hand at a time. And not all Action Magics gives you the advantage. Same with trap cards for disadvantages. Also, since they are considered as cards in your hand, if you activate a card that requires you to discard a card, you can use the Action card to do so."

"That's right, Kohaku," Kate nodded. "There are some Action cards like Mad Hurricane or Cursed Crystal that forces you to either shuffle your whole field back into your deck or damages you. Likewise, there are Action traps like the Quiz Action from the Action Field, Quiz Stage." Hearing the word 'quiz' made some certain students grimaced. "They ask questions. If you manage to answer it correctly, you gain Life Points. Incorrectly, and you'll lose Life Points." The female professor then had an idea. "Maybe we should have that field set up for you. For upcoming tests that is."

"Please no!" Judai cried out.

"My head already hurts from studying alone..." Shou whined.

"It'll be good for you, though," Misawa said.

"He's right. Just think of it as a group study session," Alex said.

The two reds didn't seem to hear him.

"It's already too late for them, it seems," Bella said.

"I feel sorry for them," Jacko stated.

"Hmm? I see there are some students who needs this more," Kate spoke, much to Judai and Shou's despair.

Everyone got a good laugh at the class. For Kohaku, however, the laugh didn't last long as she got more worried for her father. Alex noticed this and wondered what he should do to help.

* * *

After school was over, all of Kohaku's friends approached her.

"You're going to help me find my dad?" she asked.

"Well yeah. You said he hasn't returned yet, right?" Alex asked back. Kohaku nodded in response. "Then all the more reason. He's your dad and our professor. We all should look for him."

"Alex is right," Bella agreed. "Besides, we're your friends. We should help you in this sort of situation."

Kohaku smiled at their kindness and offer. "Thanks guys. Let's search the whole island for him!"

"Yeah! Let's start searching!" Judai cheered.

"But wouldn't it take days, even with this many people to look for him?" Shou asked.

"Looks like this is where I come in," came Manjoume's voice. The group turned and saw the transferred Osiris by the door, a smug look on his face. "It just so happens that I'm also a detective."

They all ignored the guy.

"My mom is going to wait at the dorms for him. The headmasters all heard of the situation and agreed to wait in the dorms in case if he comes by. I heard Professor Eri had Ryo in charge of the boy's dorm for this case. So that would leave the rest of the island for us to search," Kohaku said.

Manjoume was annoyed that they were ignoring him. "Hey! I'm offering you my service here!"

"Shou, Hayato and I will go into the woods. We'll probably find something there. If not, we can meet up with SAL and see if he or any of his friends see him," Judai said. The other two Reds nodded in agreement.

"I'll check the harbor," Asuka said.

"Same here," Misawa volunteered.

"We can check the ruins," Seth said, referring to himself and Tiffany, who nodded in agreement.

"Jacko and I will check the power supply," Bella followed.

"Then we'll go to the principal and have his permission to go to the Abandoned Dorms. If not there, we can check the volcano," Alex said for himself and Kohaku.

"Hey! What about me?!" Manjoume shouted.

The group turned to him. "Why would you want to help us?" Tiffany asked.

"You probably want Kohaku and her mom to apologize if you managed to find Professor Kazato," Jacko accused.

The black-clothed wearing boy flinched at those words, signaling how spot on his guess was. "Th-That's not true!"

Kanade appeared by Kohaku's side. "Kohaku. We have a problem." The girl glanced over at the duel spirit. "It's your father. The other duel spirits and I searched around the island while you guys were in class. We found your dad but..."

'' _But'?_ ' Kohaku mentally questioned.

"He's in the Abandon Dorms. Some duelist challenged him and took him hostage."

That shocked Kohaku so much, she let out a gasp, surprising and confusing her friends. Those that aren't psychic duelists that is.

"What is it, Kohaku?" Asuka asked.

Not answering her question, Kohaku ran to the direction of the Abandoned Dorm, with the other psychic duelists following after her. The non-psychics looked at each other in confusion before chasing after them.

* * *

They arrived at the Abandon Dorm, where Kanade said Kohaku's father would be, along with the person who had him hostage.

"Kohaku! Slow down!" Alex called.

"And give the person who has my dad hostage the opportunity to possibly kill him?! No way!" the usually cheerful duelist retorted. "I already lost my sister. I'm not going to lose my father either!" Once the Abandon Dorm was within her sight, she picked up her speed and jumped over the 'Do Not Enter' sign, rushing inside, ignoring her friends' calls.

She searched every nook and cranny in the building, searching desperately for her father. Eventually, she arrived at the area where she faced Titan, looking around for any sign of her father or a duel that had occurred in the area.

"Dad!" she called. "Dad, where are you?! Dad!"

At this point, her friends had finally caught up to her, minus Manjoume.

"Please Kohaku, just calm down," Asuka told her.

"I can't. Something happened to Dad and I just know it."

"We don't know if he is here or not," Shou said. It would've been true, if not for the fact that their group contained psychic duelists.

"Or maybe you do, my little friend," came a voice unfamiliar to them.

Everyone turned to see a person standing on the center of the Duel Arena. He seemed to be around their age and had black hair and yellow eyes. He wore a white shirt and a black vest with a black trench coat over them, black leather pants and black shoes. On the back of his coat, it said 'judge, jury, executioner' in capital letters in bold red color. The guy also wore a black fedora hat and black fingerless gloves with yin yang marks on it. He laos had what seemed like a scratch mark on his left cheek.

"Who's that?" Hayato asked.

The boy before them chuckled softly. "My round friend, I'm the last person who seen this girl's father." Hearing that shocked them.

"How do we know you'd seen him?" Seth asked. "You-"

"I have proof my boy," the mysterious person cut him off.

He reached into his pocket and reveal a card that Kohaku knew so well; Performapal Sleight Hand Magician.

"Where did you get that card?" she demanded.

Instead of answering, the person before her said, "Duel me."

"Why?"

"Duel me and I'll give the answer you're looking for."

Kohaku didn't think about the possible consequences and reached her Duel Disk, but was stopped by Alex.

"What are you doing?" she questioned.

"We don't know if this guy is telling the truth," he reasoned.

"And what if he is? There's only one Performapal Sleight Hand Magician out there and my dad is the one that has it."

"But what if it's a trick?" Bella asked, also trying to reason with her.

The man before them let out a yawn. "Are we going to duel or you wish to bore me if you don't want the answer?"

Kohaku shook Alex off and went into the Duel Arena.

"I haven't introduce myself. I am Arkham Wellheim, your worst nightmare," he introduced.

' _Don't worry, Dad, I'll win this duel and find you,_ ' Kohaku thought.

"DUEL!" both shouted.

 **Kohaku: 4000 LP  
** **Arkham: 4000 LP**

"I go first. Draw." Arkham drew his sixth card. He looked at his hand and smiled. "It's time for you to know the true fear of my deck. I summon Kamen Rider Ryuga to the field."

A man appeared on the field holding a black box as he stretched outward, as a belt appeared around his waist.

HENSHIN

He insert the box into the slot. Dark images of his armor appeared and came together to become Kamen Rider Ryuga.

 **Kamen Rider Hyuga: Level 4/DARK/Warrior/1800 ATK/1100 DEF**

"Aw man, that monster looks intimidating," Shou said in slight fear.

"That monster looks familiar," Jacko stated.

"You know something?" Judai asked.

"I've heard rumors about a set of duel monsters that look like villains from a tv show."

"You saying that he's the duelist who have this deck?" Bella asked him.

"Yeah. But there was something else about the deck... What was it?"

Back to the duel, Arkham continued his turn. "I activated Ryuga's effect. I can inflict 500 points of damage to my opponent's life point for each Kamen Rider monster on the field. I have one. This is how we will greet you in kindness. Ryuga, would you kindly greet our guest?"

"Right, Boss," the monster answered, much to the psychic duelists' shock. Ryuga took a card from his box and inserted it into his arm visor. " **Strike Vent!** " Suddenly, a black Chinese dragon came through one of the mirror, surprising everyone by its appearance.

"Aaahhhhhh!" Shou and Hayato screamed.

"What the-?! Did that thing came out from the window?" TIffany gasped.

"Whatever is, it looks like it doesn't want to be a friend in this duel," Seth stated.

The dragon shot a fireball at Kohaku, who screamed in pain. "Aaaahhhhhhhh!"

"Kohaku!" her friends cried out in worry.

 **Kohaku: 3500 LP  
** **Arkham: 4000 LP**

"I place two cards face down and end my turn," Arkham ended.

Kohaku was panting from the fire attack, as she started her turn. "My turn. Draw!" She drew her sixth card. "I summon Gungnir Relic User, Hibiki on the field in Attack mode!" One of Kohaku's 'Relic User' monster appeared.

 **Gungnir Relic User, Hibiki: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/1300 ATK/1000 DEF**

"She's using her 'Relic' deck?" Asuka questioned.

"She must really be mad, to not use her 'Circus Freaks'," Misawa said.

"At this time, I activate the continuous trap card, Shadow Killer," Arkham declared. "Since you summoned a non-DARK Attribute monster on the field, you take 500 damage for it!" Soon enough, a shadow materialize and jabbed her right shoulder.

 **Kohaku Life Point: 3000**  
 **Arkham Life Point: 4000**

"AAAAHHHHHHHH!" Kohaku screamed.

"Kohaku!" Alex cried out.

"What just happened?!" Hayato gasped.

"This isn't Action Duel, but how?!" Asuka questioned.

It was then, Jacko remembered the one other thing about the deck Arkham used. Or rather, the person himself. "Oh man... Now I remember," he spoke. "There were rumors back in the city. About a duelist who used the deck, not the deck itself."

Everyone turned to him in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Bella asked.

"The duelist kept challenging people who claimed to be the strongest and basically gave them all hell! If he's the same duelist then..."

"Kohaku's in trouble!" Judai shouted in realization.

Either she ignored their conversation or didn't care, Kohaku continued her turn. "When Hibiki is summoned, I get to add a 'Relic Weapon' card to my hand! I add Relic Weapon, Glove to my hand and equip it to Hibiki! With this, her ATK is increased by 500!" Hibiki's pendant appeared and the girl transformed into her true form.

 **Gungnir Relic User, Hibiki: 1300 + 500 = 1800 ATK**

"Battle, I attack Kamen rider Ryuga with Hibiki! **Power-up Punch**!"

"Here I come!" Hibiki shouted, as she charged up the attack and rushed to Ryuga.

"You're a fool. We have the same attack point that will surely end in a-"

Kohaku cut him off as she activated another card in her hand. "I activate the quick play magic, Trap Booster! By discarding Gungnir Relic User, Kande to the graveyard, I can activate the trap card, Relic Weapon Protector to negate Hibiki destruction."

"Take this!" Hibiki and Ryuga's attack collided, by the former then struck with a punch to the gut. She then took him out with a drilling punch to the face.

"I activate the trap card, Judgement Dagger upon Ryuga's Destruction," Arkham said. "Since a DARK monster was destroyed in battle, You take damage half of Ryuga attack points."

"What?!" Kohaku gasped, as thousands of daggers rained upon her. She avoided most of the incoming blades, but ended up with a few scratches.

 **Kohaku: 2100 LP**  
 **Arkham: 4000 LP**

"Kohaku, are you okay?!" Hibiki asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine Hibiki. I place two cards facedown and end my turn!" Kohaku ended.

"Well, well, well. It looks like you got me excited a bit when you avoided most of the blade and I see you getting a little a bit stronger with more blood to bleed," Arkham commented.

Kohaku glared at the man, who thought that getting herself in danger make this man happy.

"Well then, it's my turn and I draw." He drew his next card. He look at it, smiled and then laugh. "HAHAHAHAHA!"

"I wonder what's he laughing for," Shou said.

"I don't know, but whatever card he drew, it's not gonna be good," Judai assumed.

"The boy is right," Arkham confirmed. "And I will summon a friend who's enjoy a good puzzle game. It's time to introduce Kamen Rider Para Dox Perfect Puzzle in attack mode." A man appeared out on the field holding a strange device in his hand.

"So, you would like to play a game with me?" he asked Kohaku.

"What?" the girl asked in confusion.

Para Dox turned the knob on the device to the blue side.

PERFECT PUZZLE

Suddenly the area is filled with what seemed like energy items.

WHAT'S THE NEXT STAGE

WHAT'S THE NEXT STAGE

HENSHIN

DUEL UP

GET THE GLORY IN THE CHAIN!

PERFECT PUZZLE!

An image of the monster's rider form appeared and went through to his body, allowing him to become Kamen Rider Para Dox Perfect Puzzle

 **Kamen Rider Para Dox Perfect Puzzle: Level 4/DARK/Warrior/1300 ATK/1900 DEF**

"I activate his effect," Arkham continued. "By reveling two cards from the top of my deck, I can give my monster the abilities of either doubling its attack points or attacking all your monsters. The cards revealed then goes to the bottom of my deck. Here we go." He drew two cards and smiled at the result. "They're a monster and a magic card, which means he get both of the effect together."

Everyone was shocked at this result of getting powerful combination. Para Dox summon all the energy items and selected the three of the ones he absorbed.

MUSCLE UP

SPEED UP

ELASTIC

 **Kamen Rider Para Dox Perfect Puzzle: 1300 x 2 = 2600 ATK**

"Battle. Para Dox, if you may." At Arkham's command, Para Dox took the device and turned the knob twice before placing it back into his belt.

PERFECT CRITICAL COMBO

"Kohaku! Look out!" Alex shouted.

"I active the trap card, Symphogear Caller! This allows me to Special Summon a 'Relic User' monster like Tsubusa on the field to take the attack instead!" the female Ra countered. "And when Tsubasa's summoned, I can add a 'Relic Weapon' card to my hand!"

The blue haired girl was summoned onto the field and stood in front of Hibiki, as Kohaku added a card from her deck to her hand. Due to Kanade being in the Graveyard, she gained a good boost in power as well.

 **Ame no Habakiri Relic User, Tsubasa: Level 4/WIND/Warrior/1400 + 1000 = 2400 ATK/1000 + 500 = 1500 DEF**

"Tsubasa-san!" Hibiki cried out.

"Don't worry, I got this. I activate another trap card, Covering Fire. This allows Tsubasa to gain the attack point from Hibiki, more than enough to destroy Para Dox since Kanade's in the grave, allowing Tsubasa to gain half of her Attack Point through her own effect!"

 **Ame no Habakiri Relic User, Tsubasa: 2400 + 1800 = 4200 ATK**

"With That attack point, she can defeat Para Dox!" Jacko exclaimed.

"Let's go, Tachibana!" Tsubasa called.

"Yes!" Hibiki nodded.

They both jumped and attacked Para Dox with a double kick. The attack caused an explosion and both Hibiki and Tsubasa were safe.

 **Kohaku: 2100 LP**  
 **Arkham: 2400 LP**

"Yes! Para Dox got destroyed!" Tiffany cheered.

However, as the smoke became clear, Para-Dox was still alive, much to their shock.

"But how?" Kohaku asked.

"The quick play Magic, Iron Will, which targets one Warrior-type monster on the field that that has the original attack less and other other monster with the original attack point that is higher than mine. It negates my monster's destruction," Arkham explained.

Kohaku gritted her teeth at the counter. "After the battle is over, Tsubasa looses the boost she gained from Covering Fire."

 **Ame no Habakiri Relic User, Tsubasa: 4200 - 1800 = 2400 ATK**

Arkham saw this and chuckled softly. "You know, I already know how you duel. It's almost predictable."

"What?" Kohaku demanded angrily.

"Little lamb, why do you want to make smiles, when most of the people are feeling miserable because of you, who don't know their feelings well?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I have watched your duels. During that tag team duel, you ignored that poor, stubborn Manjoume, like you didn't care in the world, which means you are definitely the strongest duelist of them all! So strong, that you never care a person's past or their pain. Simply because you lack of understanding with one another, which is good."

Kohaku clutched her fist in anger. "You don't know anything about me!"

"That's funny, coming from the person who puts on a mask to hide her pain. What was it saying again?" He faked confusion then realization. "Oh, that's right. It said, 'I miss my little sister and I don't know if I can move on.' Don't worry my dear, I know what can cheer you up!"

Arkham snapped his fingers. A light shone on a cage, hanging behind him. Inside was a familiar person, who Kohaku was shocked to see.

"DAD!" she called.

"Professor Kazato!" Bella followed, as everyone else was just in shock at the situation Kohaku's father was in, as well as his condition.

"He looks so beaten up..." Hayato stated.

"Which means... That guy beat him in a duel!" Misawa concluded.

"What the hell did you do to him?!" Kohaku demanded.

"Calm yourself," Arkham waved off, like it was no big deal. "He was just banged up for bit. Nothing much."

"Oh yeah, judging by those marks, it happen at the end of the duel," Alex assumed.

"That, and during the duel, my boy." Everyone was shocked at those words. "I never explained what will happen, but I'll get to the point. You see, if you people try to do anything funny that interrupt the rest of the duel, he will die. Same for those of you are... 'special', so to say." The ground below the cage opened up, revealing a row of spikes. " Let's wake him up, shall we?" Arkham press a button on his duel disk. The cage suddenly released some electricity, shocking Kazato up as he was screaming in pain.

"DAD!" Kohaku cried out.

The electricity died down and Kazato weakly looked down. "Kohaku...?" he breathed.

Seeing him in an weaker condition angered the 'Relic' duelist as she glared at her opponent.

"So let's continue the little game," Arkham said, pretending as if nothing happened during the duel. "I place one card face and my turn. At this time, "

"This is not good," Asuka muttered.

"If we try to help her father, he'll might die if Arkham spots us," Misawa stated.

"Worst of all, he knows I have duel spirits that I can use to help get her dad out," Bella added.

"All we can do now is hope that she can win this duel," Seth said.

"I draw!" Kohaku drew her next card. "I summon Ichavial Relic User, Chris in attack mode!" The silver-haired girl was summoned on her field.

 **Ichavial Relic User, Chris: Level 4/FIRE/Warrior/1300 ATK/1000 DEF**

"With her effect, I can add Relic Weapon, Gun to my hand! Now I equip Relic Weapon, Sword to Tsubasa and Gun to Chris!" Both monsters transformed into their battle garment and raised some of their ATK points.

 **Ame no Habakiri Relic User, Tsubasa: 2400 + 500 = 2900 ATK**

 **Ichavial Relic User, Chris: 1300 + 500 = 1800 ATK**

"Alright! With those monsters as they are right now, she might able to win this duel for sure!" Shou exclaimed.

"Battle! I attack Kamen Rider Para Dox with Tsubasa. **Blue Flash!** " A large sword appeared in Tsubasa's hands, the blade covered in electricity. She swung her sword down on her opponent, causing an explosion to occur.

 **Kohaku: 2100 LP**  
 **Arkham: 800 LP**

"Did she do it?" Hayato asked.

Everyone watched in anticipation as Tsubasa returned to her owner's field. The smoke became clear and, to their shock, in front of them was Para Dox, still standing.

"Impossible!" Tsubasa gasped.

"But I destroyed it!" Kohaku questioned.

"Let's just say... I ended the battle phase with this card," Arkham spoke, as the smoke started to fade away completely, revealing a face-up trap card by his side.

Kohaku was confused at the sight of it, unfamiliar with the card. "The trap card, _**Malevolent Force**_?"

"This Trap Card allows me to pick which phase to end at the cost of half of my life point. So I end the battle phase. The second effect of this card allows my opponent to draw a card, so draw please."

 _ **(Malevolent Force: Normal Trap: You may pay half your Life Points to end a Phase this turn. Then, your opponent draws a card.)**_

Kohaku drew a card. "I place a card face down and end my turn."

"My turn and I draw," Arkham drew his next card. "I activate the magic card, Card of Sanctity, allowing us to draw cards until we have 6 in our hands." They both drew until they had six cards. "Next, I activate the effect of Kamen Rider Para Dox. By returning this card to my deck during my Main Phase, I can Special Summon a different 'Para Dox.'" Para Dox took his device and change the Knob to red.

KNOCKOUT FIGHTER

THE STRONGEST FIST!

ROUND 1!

ROCK AND FIRE

Transformation Plus

DUEL UP

EXPLOSION HIT!

KNOCKOUT FIGHTER

Para Dox's color changed from blue to red, his shoulder pads detaching themselves to become boxing gloves.

"Aw great. One trouble keeps popping up after another," Hayato stated.

"Except it's gonna decide whether she lives or dies with its effect," Arkham added. "By not attacking this turn, Para Dox can destroy one monster on the field and inflict damage equal to the monster's ATK points. The lucky monster for this treat... is Tsubasa with 2900 ATK points!" Para Dox took his device and changed the color twice before setting it back to the Red Mark.

KIMAWAZA

DUEL CLICK AND LOAD

KNOCKOUT CRITICAL SMASH

Para Dox rushed to Tsubasa and gave her an uppercut to the chin, which sent her straight up and back down before Para Dox punches her again that made her explode. The explosion spread all over Kohaku's field.

"KOHAKU!" Alex cried out in worry.

Everyone else was shocked at what had just occurred before them. Fiore Kohaku had just...

"Well then, that's that," Arkham simply waved off, as he turned around to walk away.

"IT'S NOT OVER!" came a voice from the smoke.

Arkham turn around and saw Kohaku still standing, bruised after Tsubasa was destroyed by Para Dox.

"What?" he lightly gasped.

"I activated... the trap card... Relic Weapon Defender. This turn... while I control a 'Relic User' monster... equipped with a 'Relic Weapon'... I take no damage!" Kohaku explained.

Everyone breathed out a sigh of relief at the defense.

"She's safe..." Shou spoke, placing a hand to his chest.

"Yeah, but how long?" Jacko asked.

Among the group, the one who was worried about Kohaku the most was Alex.

"Come on, Kohaku. Don't die," he whispered.

Arkham smirked at the sight. "Well then, I placed two cards facedown and end my turn."

Kohaku was panting heavily. Although the damage to her Life Points was reduced to zero, the actual damage itself damaged her greatly. It took her everything she had to stay on her feet. "My... My..." She made a move to draw, or at least attempt to, but could barely raise her arms.

Both Hibiki and Chris noticed this. "Kohaku, what's wrong?" the former asked.

"Don't tell me that damage was too much for you," the latter said.

This, however, didn't go unnoticed by Arkham. "Aww. What's the matter, dear? Can't breathe after my monster almost scorched you and then beat you up a bit?" He mocked, as he then let out a hearty laugh. "Don't worry, this is how I make people go to their strongest potential! To push their limit and their ideals, including the foolish idea of smiling in a duel!"

Alex was angry at him for calling her ideas foolish.

"There are some truth about making people smiling, though, don't get me wrong. They wish to befriend you and next thing you knew, you create enemies that you make monkeys out of, sought out weaklings below you to let out some frustration on. Don't you agree?"

"That's... not ..." Kohaku tried to speak.

"Oh wait, I'm not done talking. All you have been doing was to make yourself happy, make others feel jealous, and made them hate others because of you, who wish to not understand their pain."

Kohaku was breath more heavily and try to say something before Arkham cuts her off again.

"You don't want to understand the humility of the people you caused to drive them to the point causing petty troubles. Like that copycat duelist who wished to be recognize for his skills."

"That's... not... true..." Kohaku spoke. Yet despite that, it seemed that Arkham's words were actually getting to her. Truth be told, her dueling style was developed when her twin died. She didn't want to be sad, ever again. So she had developed the dueling style to make people smiles, when in truth, it was a cover for her to smile more. The thought was making her feel even more guilty. The injuries she sustained and the emotions she was feeling were starting to weigh her down, having her lose strength to continue dueling.

"YOU'RE NOT BAD PERSON, KOHAKU!" came a voice.

Kohaku looked up to the person who shouted those words.

"You're not bad person..." Kazato continued to speak, coughing every now and then. "The truth is... You're the most wonderful person, who many people smile during my absence. I know I wasn't there for you when you had to watch your sister die, while the true culprit was getting away for the crime. But, you never hurt others to hate, to hide; you showed so much happiness to the people around you, brought smiles to their faces, helped them forget the pain, no matter how temporary it may be. I'm proud that you brought smiles to those here and now. I've heard you once helped a dueling monkey reunite with his family with Bella. You met people who were alone and understood friendship. You stand with your friends who were bullied by those who don't understand the world. I'm proud... and I'm happy to be your father." He shed a tear as he said that.

Hearing those words were making Kohaku shed some tears herself. "Dad..."

Arkham let out a yawn, ruining the father-daughter moment. "Oh. You poor fools."

"What?" Kohaku asked.

"Didn't I tell you what would happen if someone interrupts the duel?" This still confused everyone, not seeing the point he was making. Until they figured out what he was referring to.

"You wouldn't!" Bella shouted.

"But I would." Arkham activated the mechanism to drop the cage, with Kazato still in it.

"DAD!" Kohaku cried out, running through the duel field. Suddenly, her body glowed bright and she just disappeared, surprising everybody. As sudden as she disappeared, she reappeared in Kazato's cage and grabbed him, somehow teleporting them out and back on her side of the field.

Kazato looked at his daughter in shock. "Kazato... Your powers..."

"Dad... I..." Kohaku couldn't say anymore, and collapsed, worrying everyone.

"Kohaku!" they all shouted.

* * *

 _ ***IN HER MIND***_

Kohaku opened her eyes and found herself in a white space. She looked around, wondering where she was. Imagine her surprise, when she saw someone quite familiar to her. Someone she hadn't seen in a long time.

"You can't be..." she spoke.

"Hey, Kohaku. We got a lot to talk about, sis."

* * *

 ** _*IN THE REAL WORLD*_**

"Kohaku! Wake up!" Kazato shouted, shaking his daughter's shoulders.

"Aww... Well that changed everything," came Arkham's voice. "Here I was, hoping that the death of another relative would push her to be stronger in this duel, to go to her fullest. But instead, she did the boring and saved her father. How disappointing."

Hearing those words made everyone mad.

"You're a sick monster!" Seth exclaimed.

"Eh. Maybe I am. But then again, I'm a duelist with a pride. I'll give her... three minutes to wake up and continue this duel. Anyone tries to cut in is going to die." Hearing those words shocked them.

"DIE?!" Alex gasped.

"That's right. Although, since there's a huge possibility that you'll be dueling for her, if you duel for her, I'll kill her." That shocked them even more. "In the mean time, I'll just sit back, and relax."

"I suppose that means me as well," Para Dox stated, as he sat on the ground like his duelist.

"The hell?" Jacko muttered.

Alex and Bella looked at Kohaku, both thinking the same thing. ' _Kohaku... Please wake up..._ '

* * *

 _ ***IN KOHAKU'S MIND***_

The girl had just finished telling her late sister stories of her time in Duel Academia.

"I see. So, that's why you're here with me," Koharu said.

"Yeah. That's right," Kohaku nodded.

The older twin was thinking about the things Arkham taunted her about; her dueling ways, the idea to bring smile and joys... everything...

' _Little lamb, why do you want to make smiles, when most of the people are feeling miserable because of you, who don't know their feelings well?_ '

' _You never care a person's_ _past or their pain. Simply because you lack of understanding with one another._ '

' _All you have been doing was to make yourself happy, make others feel jealous, and made them hate others because of you, who wish to not understand their pain_.'

Kohaku's hands were shaking out of fear that he might be telling the truth that she never knew herself. Truth that she never understood the pain that the person went through and felt guilty that she fails to see it in their eyes. But then, a hand was placed on her shoulder. "Koharu?" Looking up, she saw it was her twin who was trying to comfort her.

"We can't always change the way people are, but we can help them. The people who are suffering from the same cycle of pain, just as you've always done for me," she said.

Kohaku looked down, uncertain. "But..."

"You have friends waiting for you to come back, right? And wasn't it you who rightfully earned this pendant?" Koharu pointed at the small staff around her neck, the very same one she got back in the Gravekeeper's Spirit World.

Kohaku looked down at the pendant and started to remember the duel she had that very day. She recalled how she had done her dueling style and brought smiles to the Gravekeeper's faces. Real, kind, happy smiles. Her mind then went back to the Action Duels for the Representative Decisive Tournament, especially the last round, when everyone in the audience, Reds, Yellows, and Blues alike, all cheered for both her and Judai to win, to represent the whole school. Even those that looked down on the Reds had cheered, though they reverted back to their old ways after the tournament was over. It was here, she realized the one thing that she always had when she performed a duel and a show; she has friends there with her. Soon, the area becomes much brighter.

"Now go, sis. The show has yet to end," Koharu said. With that, the light became even more brighter than before.

* * *

Kohaku woke up from the dream/vision she had, now with newfound determination. The sight of her regaining conscience relieved everyone.

"And here I was worrying that you would be gone along with the show," Arkham sarcastically stated.

"The show never ends. Not without a good trick up my sleeves!" Kohaku told him.

Arkham couldn't help but notice how the girl before him was acting her usual self and was shocked. "What?"

"You were right about one thing; I may not understand the pain they have gone through or the pressure they endured that turned them into the people they are now, bullies who escape their misery by looking down on others, but I have my friends with me that helped others. Friends who are willing to help understand their pain!"

 _ **(INSERT: VITALIZATION BY NANA MIZUKI)**_

All of a sudden, there was a spotlight on her. " _Hola~! Bonjour~! Hello, everybody~!_ I'm about to draw out the one card that will bring a miracle of smile for this climatic show!" Everyone in the audience tensed at that declaration, hoping for it to be true. "It's my turn and I DRAW!" She drew the next card from her deck and smiled at the sight of it before putting it back in her hand. "I activate Resurrection of the Dead to bring back Tsubasa for this final show! Stand with Hibiki and Chris!" The blue haired girl was brought back to the field with her friends.

"Tsubasa-san!" Hibiki called in relief

"It's about time you showed up," Chris stated.

"Yeah. Now how about we end this with a bang?" Tsubasa suggested. The other two girls nodded in agreement to the idea.

"Next, I activate the magic card, Relic Weapon Reconstruction to add Tsubasa's Relic Weapon Sword to my hand and activate it again!" Kohaku continued, as her recently summoned monster changed back into her battle armor.

"You really think I'm about to fall the same trick you been pulling for the last two turn to take me down? You're more of a fool than I thought," Arkham mocked.

"Nope, but this is! From my hand, I activate the magic card, Relic Weapon Evolution! By paying half my Life Points, I can send 'Relic User' monsters equipped with 'Relic Weapon' magic card from my field to the Graveyard to evolve them to their next form!" The three girls glow brightly and suddenly they engulfed in a pillar of light with different colors of red, blue, and yellow. Soon, the lights dispersed and the three girls clad in what seemed like upgraded version of their armor, white replacing black, with wings on their backs.

 **Kohaku: 1050 LP**  
 **Arkham: 800 LP**

 **Gungnir Relic User, Hibiki X-Drive: Level 7/LIGHT/Warrior/2500 ATK/2400 DEF**

 **Ame no Habakiri Relic User, Tsubasa X-Drive: Level 7/LIGHT/Warrior/3000 ATK/2500 DEF**

 **Ichavial Relic User, Chris X-Drive: Level 7/LIGHT/Warrior/2400 ATK/2000 DEF**

Kazato realized something different about her current dueling style and smiled. ' _Kohaku... You're not alone,_ ' he thought.

"You really think summoning a new set of monsters will bring down the final curtain on this show?" Arkham asked.

"You're the one who's going to take the final bow, because I activate Hibiki's effect! By banishing Swan Song from my hand or Graveyard, she gains ATK equal to all 'Relic User' monsters on the field and either player's graveyard!" Everyone was shocked at those words. " _Hit it, girls_!"

" _Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal_  
 _Emustolronzen fine el balal zillz_  
 _Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal_  
 _Emustolronzen fine el balal zillz_ "

The next thing they knew, a large, golden sword appeared in Hibiki's hands. She let out a large battle cry as she spun the weapon around, her power skyrocketing.

 **Gungnir Relic User, Hibiki X-Drive: 2500 + 3000 + 2400 + 1300 + 1300 + 1400 + 2000 = 13900 ATK**

"Arkham's Life Points is 800. With that ATK Point, she can win this duel!" Misawa calculated.

"It won't matter what he does now, Kohaku will win!" Asuka added.

"Go get him, Kohaku-san!" Seth cheered.

"Finish this with a bang!" Bella followed.

" _It's time for the Grand Finale_! Hibiki! Attack Para-Dox with Synchrogazer!" the 'Relic' duelist ordered.

"Let's do this, Durandal!" Hibiki cried out, her sword raised high in the air, Tsubasa and Chris giving her support. The weapon started to enlarge itself, growing big enough to touch the roof.

Everyone was awe by this, some to the point that they fainted after seeing that sword went straight up high. Hibiki then charged at Para Dox, who was preparing himself for a world of pain. Hibiki stabbed the sword at her opponent, who exploded afterwards.

"She did it!" Alex shouted.

Everyone cheered at this event when all of sudden, as the smoke evaporated, they saw Para Dox holding Durandal.

"What just happened?!" Tiffany gasped.

"The answer is right here," Arkham answered, pointing at an activated card on his field. "Trap card, Unlucky Number. If my Life Points is lower than my opponent's, by releasing a 'Kamen Rider' monster, I can destroy a monster my opponent controls. Also, we both take damage equal to that monster's ATK."

"Out with you!" Para Dox shouted, as a bomb of some sort appeared in his hand. He closed in on Hibiki, the fuse shortening by the second. The next thing they knew, the bomb exploded, big enough to have the Abandoned Dorm collapse.

 **Kohaku: 0000 LP**  
 **Arkham: 000 LP**

 **WINNER: DRAW!**

* * *

Some time later, after the outcome of the duel, the collapse of the Abandoned Dorm, the teachers all arrived at the entrance, or what was left of it.

"What happened here?" Eri asked in a concerned tone.

"This is utter nonsense- na no ne!" Chronos exclaimed.

"I hope no one was inside when this happened- nya" Daitokuji prayed.

They then saw something move from the rubble. Next thing they new, Judai, Shou and Hayato emerged.

"Whoa! That was scary!" Shou exclaimed.

"I thought we were going to die," Hayato said.

"At least we lived. What about everyone else?" Judai pointed out.

"You three!" they heard. Turning to the source, they widened their eyes in panic as they saw the teachers all staring at them, including the Academia Ethics Board. "I should've known it was you dropout boys- na no ne!" Chronos accused.

"Wait a second! It's not what you think!" Judai tried to reason.

The next one to get the rubble off was Jacko, who helped Bella up. "You okay Bella?"

"I think so," she answered.

"Jacko and Bella?!" Kate gasped.

"Just what is...?" Samejima spoke.

Next to emerge were Seth and Tiffany.

"That hurts..." the former said.

"How did we survive? Or even get up here?" the latter asked, noticing that, instead of being at the cave-like area, the group were at what she assumed was the lobby of the Abandoned Dorm, or what should be at least.

"What are you kids doing here?!" the woman of the Ethics Board demanded. "You know you're not suppose to be here!"

Before they could explain themselves, Misawa, Asuka and Alex came out of the rubble.

"You kids too?!" Kabayama asked.

Most of the students tensed at the question, wondering what they should do.

"Wait. Where's Kohaku and Professor Kazato?!" Alex asked. While the adults were confused with his question, the teenagers all realized they were missing those two people.

"You think lying about your sensei getting involved with what you kids did will save you? Think again!" the Ethics Board lady said.

She was proven wrong, however, as Kazato had also slowly emerged from the rubble. "Looks like I just made it," he muttered, seeing the students were okay.

"Kazato!" Kate cried out, running to her lover's side. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Kate. Sorry for worrying you."

"Kazato, what is going on here?" Samejima asked.

"Eh? Well..." As he was about to answer, he noticed his daughter was missing from the group. "Kohaku. Kohaku!" He looked around and started to move the rubbles away to find his daughter. "Kohaku! Where are you?!"

Equally worried for the missing Ra, everyone else started to dig for her as well.

Meanwhile, a mysterious figure looked at the group from the forest behind the bushes

' _That is one trail down and few more to go,_ ' he thought. He look at his deck and in front of it is the name of a monster card. ' _Soon, they will face an evil worse than Kagemaru and his thirst of the Sacred Beast cards._ ' He soon disappeared from the bushes


	34. The Start of Doomsday

**Coral: Here's another chapter of Circus GX! I was hoping to add in a duel that included Symphogears, to honor the fourth season that came out recently, but I just couldn't imagine a good duel with them, especially not with my OC's usual character. Makes me wish I held off the previous chapter just a little longer. BUT! There is a change in opening from this chapter forward, with the song coming from the Symphogear show itself! Third season! So that should be close enough of an honor. Now, that being said, enjoy the chapter~**

* * *

Normal dialogue

 **Life Points/Monster stats**

 ** _*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*_**

 **Attacks/Effects**

 _'thoughts'_

 _Language other than Japanese_ (this is English sub after all)

* * *

 _ ***OPENING***_

 ** _Roar out through the high heavens,  
_** _(Opening starts with a red silhouette of a monster)  
_ ** _Wrapped in undulating emotion;  
_** _(Silhouette changed into a different monster in blue)  
_ ** _The truest of tones can be found here at this very spot…  
_** _(Silhouette changed once more into a yellow monster. Scene changed to Samejima's office, the man looking out the window at the sky above)_

 ** _(Instrumental)  
_** _(Camera looks up at the dark sky. Title appears. After several seconds, flames extinguished it, changing the scene)_

 ** _The trembling signal of pain in my heart,  
_** _(Kohaku was practicing some stunts when she sensed something and looked behind her)  
_ ** _Broke through many a night,  
_** _(Scene changed to Bella doing some ninja training when she also sensed something and looked at a distance)  
_ ** _As I searched for you – it's enough to drive me insane…  
_** _(Scene changed again to Alex running from something before he summoned Freakstar Dragon and rode on his back, flying out of the Abandoned Dorm as it exploded behind them)_

 ** _Within the elegant, dreamlike sounds that float upon a double-edged warmth,  
_** _(Jacko, Tiffany, Seth, Shou and Hayato looked at a distance, watching their friends facing off against the Shadow Riders)  
_ ** _Entrusted tears roam throughout the sky  
_** _(Camera zoomed in to Arkham and a Rider in a black cloak. Kohaku and Kazato stares at them. The unknown rider walks away and Kohaku grabbed the cloak and pulled it off)_

 ** _The more I seek this radiant melody,  
_** _(Scene changed as Judai summoned his Heroes and declared an attack)  
_ ** _All that's projected is more illusions.  
_** _(Asuka summoned her monsters and also declared an attack)  
_ ** _But the moment we know as "now" will always be what forms the miracle of tomorrow…  
_** _(Scene changed to Ryo and his Cybers, to Misawa and his 'Magnet Warriors', to Manjoume and his dragons, to various other characters and their monsters)  
_ ** _So I want to sing for your sake!  
_** _(Scene changed to where the Mythic Demon cards are sealed, the three monster spirits circling around the Spirit Gates)_

 ** _Let everything be set free  
_** _(Darkness and Camula had their monsters battle Judai, Chronos, Ryo and Kazato's monsters)  
_ ** _If you have a dream for the future that you believe  
_** _(Another cloaked duelist was dueling against Bella and her ninjas)  
_ ** _Our resounding hearts are unstoppable!  
_** _(Misawa and Manjoume battled Tania and Don Zaloog. Alex and Asuka dueled against Abidos III and Titan)  
_ ** _Let's go (together), joining hands (no matter how far)!  
_** _(Arkham and the earlier cloaked duelist have a full field of monsters on their side, facing off against Kohaku. Kohaku and her 'Circus Freak' and 'Relic' monsters leapt from floating rock to rock over to them)  
_ ** _I won't ever let go of that smile!  
_** _(They all prepared their strongest attack and fired. Scene paused with a close-up image of Kohaku and the earlier cloaked duelist facing off)_

* * *

One night, a couple of days after Kohaku's duel against Arkham, in a small cave, a group of people gathered deep inside, standing before an inlet. Among them was Arkham, covered in scratches.

"Our time has arrived," one of them spoke in a deep, male's voice. "You have made a pact to help me retrieve the cards of destiny. After Arkham, who went to check what our destination's strongest was made of, who will be the first to officially lead the battle?"

"Whoever does go, leave the one who did this to me. She's mine," Arkham said with a smirk.

"I will go," volunteered a masked duelist in black clothing. He put on a duel disk similar to Duel Academia's and walked out of the cave.

"She really did some damage to you, did she," a female stated to Arkham.

"Hmph. She was tougher than you said she was. That's all," the 'Kamen Rider' duelist simply answered.

The female let the matter be and walked off.

"Where are you going?" the voice from earlier asked.

"A long stroll," she simply answered, exiting the cave.

* * *

The next day, Kohaku and her friends were in Daitokuji's class. Kohaku's left arm was in a sling and she had a bandage around her head, injuries from her duel. During class, she couldn't help but think about the conversation she had with her friends the day before.

* * *

 _ ***FLASHBACK***_

Kohaku just woke up from the injuries she sustained in the duel, finding herself in the nurse's office in bandages. Her friends were by her side, waiting for her to wake.

"What happened?" she asked.

"You don't remember?" Judai asked. "You were dueling with that Arkham guy yesterday."

"Also known as 'Hell's Reaper'," Jacko added. "You were lucky to not lose the duel, or who knows what would've happened to you."

Kohaku slightly nodded at his words and realized something. "Dad... Where's dad?!" She winced at the pain she felt on her head.

"Calm down, Kohaku. Stress isn't good for you right now," Asuka advised. "Your father's okay. He's in a meeting with the other teachers."

"No doubt it'll be about yesterday," Bella assumed. "Either it will be to expel us, or attempt to, or about why the dorm became a pile of rubbles."

"Probably both," Tiffany guessed.

"I don't think they'll expel us, though," Seth said. "If it was a few students, then maybe they will. But there's a handful of us who went to the Abandoned Dorm."

"Even if it is about expulsion, something tells me Prefessor Kazato will convince them to let us off the hook. After all, the only reason we were there was to find him," Misawa pointed out.

"He's right. The rules state that students can't go to the Abandoned Dorm, but it said nothing about teachers or visitors," Alex agreed. "If he tells them that we only went there due to the possibility that he was there, they have to let it go." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"But still, I wonder what that duel was exactly about," Shou said. "Sure Arkham is Hell's Reaper, but why did he come to Duel Academia?"

That question got everyone else wondering about why Arkham was on the island.

"Shou has a point. If he wanted to duel the strongest, it would be the Kaiser," Hayato pointed out. "But instead, he chose to challenge Kohaku. I wonder why."

"Either way, something tells me that that isn't the last time we will see him," Hibiki said, appearing next to Kohaku, who nodded in agreement.

"That means we have to keep out guard up," Sakura said, appearing by Bella's side.

* * *

 _ ***END OF FLASHBACK***_

Kohaku let out a sigh, wondering about what would happen if they do meet Arkham again.

' _He's definitely going to settle the score with me the next time we meet,_ ' she thought. ' _I'm lucky enough to not lose. But even so... What was that card I drew? 'Relic Weapon Evolution'... I never had that card in that deck before. Unless..._ ' Her mind went to her late twin, as she remembered the conversation she had while she was knocked out. ' _I'm wondering now which of us is the older twin,_ ' she thought with a small smile on her face.

Just then, the bell rang, signaling that class was over.

"All right! It's lunch time!" came Judai's voice, as he took out a lunchbox and started to chow down.

"Ah, Yuki Judai-kun. Your lunch will have to wait a bit- nya. You and I are going to the Principal's Office- nya," the Osiris headmaster told him, much to his and his Red friends' confusion.

"Principal's Office? But why?" Tiffany asked, looking at the 'Elemental Hero' duelist.

"Judai, you didn't do something bad again, did you?" Hayato asked in concern.

"It's the Principal's Office," Shou said. "Aniki, don't tell me it's an expulsion."

"But he didn't do anything that's considered bad enough for that, did he?" Jacko questioned.

"Hmm... I don't remember something like that," Judai said, trying to remember a time when he had committed something bad enough to be expelled.

One duelist seemed to like the idea of Judai leaving. "Judai, it was nice knowing you. This is goodbye!" Manjoume declared.

"He doesn't even know exactly why Judai's being called," Alex said in a whispered tone to Kohaku and Bella.

"Being called up can mean anything," the blue of the three pointed out.

"Manjoume-kun, you are to come as well," Daitokuji corrected the 'Armed Dragon' duelist, to his shock. "And then there's Misawa-kun, Asuka-san, Alejandro-kun, Bella-san, and Kohaku-kun." The students called all stood up.

* * *

The group all followed their alchemist teacher to the Principal's Office, wondering why they were called over.

"Why are we being called?" Judai voiced out.

"I'm not sure. I was just told to bring you kids there-nya," Daitokuji replied.

As they walked, they met up with Ryo, Chronos, Kazato and Kate.

"What a distinguished group this is- no ne," Chronos commented.

"I assume this means you kids were also called up to the Principal's Office," Kazato said.

"That's right, dad," Kohaku confirmed.

Chronos noticed Judai, whom he still had a grudge against, was among them. "Surely we have a mistake here? We have an odd man out- no ne."

"Don't sweat it, Thunder," Judai said to Manjoume, assuming it was him who was being spoke of.

"He means you!" he corrected.

* * *

The group went inside the office while Daitokuji went back to class. There, Samejima explained to them of Duel Academia's secrets.

"Three Mythic Demon cards?" Judai repeated in a questioned tone.

"That's right. Sealed within this island, those three cards have been with us since ancient times," Samejima continued to explain.

"Wait, this academy was around that long ago?"

"No, he said 'island'," Kohaku corrected.

"Shut up. Be quiet and listen!" Manjoume whispered to them.

"Originally, this academy was built over where those cards are sealed," Samejima continued on. Everyone was shock at the information. "Those three Mythic Demon cards lie dormant deep underneath the academy. According to the legend of the island, when those cards are brought up to the surface, the world will be shrouded by evil, chaos will enshroud everything, and the darkness dwelling within the people will be released. Before long, the world will be destroyed and be no more. This is what is said of the extent of the power that these cards conceal."

Everyone tensed at how strong and dangerous the cards were. Well, all except one.

"I don't really get it, but they sound like pretty awesome cards!" Judai exclaimed.

"Aren't you paying attention- no ne?!" Chronos scolded.

"Those who have challenged us, who have ambitions of breaking the seal on those cards, have appeared," Samejima still continued. "In fact, one of you had most likely already dueled against one of them." He looked at Kohaku when he said that.

"Huh? You mean Arkham?" she asked.

"Judging by what was told the other night. The group he's part of is known as the 'Shadow Riders'. They are ten people who are shrouded in complete mystery. One of them had already revealed himself and no doubt had retreated, but another had arrived on the island."

"What did you say?!" Misawa gasped.

"Arkham was troublesome enough," Bella said.

"But how will they try to break the seal?" Asuka asked.

"The three Mythic Demon cards are sealed in the ruins that lie under this academy," Samejima started to answer. "Ten enormous stone pillars known as the ten 'Spirit Gates' protect these cards. Those ten pillars will open with ten keys. These are those ten keys." He took out a box from his drawer.

"Then the Shadow Riders will come to steal these keys," Alex said. "But what does it have to do with us?"

"To that end, I would like to ask you to protect these ten keys."

"You want us to protect them, but how?" Manjoume asked.

"Naturally, by dueling." That response caught them all. "If one were to steal the keys to the ten Spirit Gates, they must win them in a duel. That is an edict carried out on this island since ancient times. That is why I had you, the best duelists within our academy, gathered here. Well, I also called on one more to match the amount." He looked to Chronos as he said that.

"I'm sure he means you- na no ne," Chronos obliviously accused Judai. The red wasn't at all bothered by the false accusation.

"They will come here to challenge those duelists who possesses these ten keys. If you are prepared to battle the Shadow Riders, then I would like you to take one of these keys." Samejima opened up the box, revealing the keys in question.

Judai instantly took a key and put it around his neck, like a necklace. "Sounds fun. I'll do it!"

Ryo smirked at his bravery/naivety and also took a key, followed by Misawa, Asuka, Manjoume and Kazato.

"My, my, my. Principal, you mustn't scare them- no ne," Chronos said to Samejima. "After all, while they want to challenge and defeat those at the academy, we should think they're just coming to steal- no ne. Also, I would like my deck if I am to help protect the academy- na no ne."

"Well, I suppose such a thought is all right for now. And I suppose I can return you your deck," the principal agreed, handing Chronos his 'Antique Gear' deck back as the blonde teacher took one of the remaining keys, leaving three left. The group all looked at the duelists who have yet to picked up a key. "And, what will you three do?"

"I'll gladly take a key, but..." Alex trailed off, looking at Kohaku's injured state.

"We won't take it, if we all don't take a key," Bella said, also looking at Kohaku, whose eyes were shadowed by her bangs.

"Duel... is not a tool to be used for battle," she spoke. "A duel that is only based on victory alone is a false duel, one I almost lost my dad in. Duels are used to make people smile. Injured or not, I'll use my duel style to open the Shadow Riders' eyes, have them see the true light!" She took a key from the box. Her best friends smiled at each other and picked up the remaining keys.

"Thank you everyone. From now on, our battle has begun," Samejima thanked. "Please, be on standby to duel at any moment. And please, you must protect the three Mythic Demon cards, and the keys to the ten Spirit Gates without fail."

* * *

Later that night, Kohaku was in the Obelisk Blue dorm in Bella's room, getting some medical treatment from the psychic duelist.

"Tell me again why you couldn't just give me an instant healing like you did last time," the 'Circus Freak' duelist asked.

"Because apparently after that, you were like a kid on a really high sugar rush," she reasoned. "And although that's good and all, we don't want your wounds to reopen."

"Exactly," Sakura, the monster healing Kohaku, nodded in agreement. "I'd rather not continuously heal a near-dead person. Do you have any idea how tiring that gets?"

The Ra Yellow simply chuckled.

The duel monster's hands stopped glowing. "Okay. Your arm should be good as new after I treat it tomorrow. Just keep it out of harms way. And you can take the bandage off your head now."

"Thanks, Sakura," Kohaku thanked, removing the bandage around her head with her free hand. "That means just one more day and I can get back to my performance pace!"

"I'd rather you hold off on that for a few more days," Sakura advised, only to be ignored as Bella removed her card from her duel disk.

A knock was heard at her door.

"Were you expecting someone?" Kohaku asked.

"Not that I know of," she answered. Bella then called, "Who is it?"

"It's Kate. Kohaku's mother." The two girls looked at each other before going to open the door. There, Kohaku's mother stood, with an odd duel disk in her hand.

"Hey, mom. What are you doing here? And is that a duel disk?" Kohaku asked.

"As a matter of fact, it is. One that can activate Action Field." The female students were surprised at the description.

"It can what?!" Bella gasped.

"Seeing how famous Action Duels became in this school, your father sent Pegasus a message about making a duel disk that can bring Action fields with it wherever duelists are. And as you can see, Pegasus agreed to the idea. Rather, he himself had thought of it after watching some videos from the Representative Decisive Tournament. This is a prototype and he wished for you to have it."

"Pegasus wants me to have it?!" Kohaku asked, not believing what she heard.

"Action Duels exist because of you after all. Even your father thinks you should have this Duel Disk."

Kohaku looked at the disk in her mother's hands. She reached out and held it in her own hands, a smile forming on her face. "Thanks mom. Tell Pegasus I said thanks too. And that I won't let him down!"

Kate let a small giggle escape her mouth. "Of course."

The gift got Kohaku even more excited. "Alright! Now I can't wait to be at full recovery!"

"Calm down idiot!" Sakura shouted.

"You should know that she won't," Ino told her.

All of a sudden, Kohaku's Gravekeeper's pendant started to glow, much to the girls' shock.

"What the...?" the owner began to question, holding up her key.

"Why is your pendant glowing?" Bella asked. Before Kohaku could answer, their keys started to shake.

"Girls, what does that mean?" Kate asked, in a worried tone. She heard from her husband about how they were chosen to be guardians of Duel Academia and had hoped that it was a joke. Seeing their keys glowing, however...

The young duelists turned to the volcano, where they felt was the source of the keys' reaction. They looked at each other and nodded, knowing what the other was thinking. The next thing Kate knew, Kohaku and Bella ran out of the room.

* * *

As they ran to the direction of the volcano, they met up with the other protectors of the Spirit Gate keys, minus Chronos. Seth was also with them.

"Judai! Shou! Hayato!" Misawa called as they caught up to them.

"Jacko and Tiffany too!" Bella called, shocked to see that their friends all got involved in the incident.

"Is Judai okay?" Alex asked.

"Of course he is! It's not like Aniki would die!" Shou exclaimed.

"'Die'?" Kazato repeated in a questioned tone.

"So, it was a Duel of Darkness?" Manjoume guessed.

"That's right. But Judai won!" Hayato said.

"It was some battle," Jacko stated.

"Quite dangerous too," Tiffany added.

Ryo looked to the side and saw Asuka was kneeling right by a Shadow Rider's side... crying and hugging him? He approached the two in confusion. "Asuka?" he spoke.

"His soul... He had another soul in him..." she said, confusing him even more. "That's why it was sealed away, leaving his original soul!"

"What are you saying, Asuka?" Ryo asked.

"Don't you see? It's my brother, Fubuki!"

The Kaiser couldn't believe his ears. But once he got a better look at the Rider's face, he saw that Asuka was telling the truth. "Fubuki?!"

Everyone else joined up with them, all shocked at the development.


End file.
